The Dragoon's Ascension
by CaptainJackSpearow
Summary: The story is about a Charmander, named Drake, who awakens with no memory of who he was before hand. Drake soon teams up with a Buneary, named Fluffi and join the local guild. The heroes find that they may be the only ones that can stop the world from being wiped from existence. Can Team Dragoon save the world from this evil, or is the world destined to fade into deepest darkness?
1. Chapter I: My Tail's on Fire!

Chapter 1: My Tail's On Fire!

Moral of the story, never trust a witch, or else you may end up become a sac- whoops, spoiler alert. I guess it would be best to start at the beginning. What you are about to read is a record of my entire life, well as much as I can remember, anyway. I hope by reading this, those who live in this world can prevent a tragedy like what you are about to read from ever happening again. Yet, time flows like the sweat off of a Conkeldur's brow, and history repeats. But this doesn't have to. Oops, got off track again. how about I just start the story.

 _"...ello..."_

That was a voice, faint and barely audible, but there.

 _"...can...hear..."_

The voice was a little clearer that time.

"Can you speak up?" I asked, "I'm having difficulty hearing you."

I spake but no words came from my mouth, yet I could hear my own voice clearly. My eyes were wide open, but that didn't matter, for everything was dark all around me. The voice was silent for a good while before it spake up again.

 _"Can you hear me?"_

I was knocked on my butt out of shock. I could hear the voice much clearer now.

 _"Please, don't be alarmed"_

As I got up off the ground, I realized that it was a woman that was speaking to me, but the voice seemed to come from my own head.

"Where are you?" I asked, "I can't see anything."

 _"I am not there, I am speaking to you telepathically."_

"Uh, what?"

 _"Explaining it to you would take more time than I have."_

"What do you want with me?"

 _"Simply put, this world is in danger. A darkness is waxing, a darkness which I do not have the power to conquer."_

"And I have the power to destroy this darkness, whereas you do not?"

 _"I believe so."_

"You have telepathy! I'm just an average guy!"

 _"You do not realize it, but you have a power that I could never hope to obtain. So, will you help a lady out and save the world?"_

I thought about it for a while before I finally answered her.

"Sure, why not? After all, it wouldn't be very gentlemanly of me to turn a damsel in distress down."

 _"Well, aren't you the charmer. Who says chivalry is dead?"_

The voice grew silent and after a short time, I felt something odd happening to my body I felt pains all over my body, even in places I didn't even know I had. Then, small fissures of light appeared all over the dark void I was standing upon, then the floor broke and I found myself in the sky, rocketing toward the ground at record-breaking speeds.

"OH, SHOOT! AHHHHH! HURRY UP AND GROW WINGS! WHERE'S A PARASHUTE WHEN YOU NEED ONE!?"

I was falling so fast that flames surrounded my body as I was falling toward the ground at speeds I swore exceeded mach 10. I eventually crashed into the white sand of a small beach, leaving a crater in the sand and getting a mouth full of the gritty sediment. I was lucky that all I managed to hurt was my pride, though I was numb, everywhere, so I could not spit the sand out of mouth, no matter how much I wanted to. Sand tastes awful by the way. I blacked out for a while as well, and remained KO'd until I felt something gently shaking me.

"Arceus above! Are you all right?"

I slowly regained consciousness and found myself lying on my stomach. I got on my hands and knees and spat out all of the sand in my mouth, before slowly taking a seat in the crater and getting all the remaining sand out of my mouth.

"Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm just a little numb, I should be find after a little rest"

I finally turned to see who was talking to me, but was a little shocked to see a bipedal rabbit standing there.

"I'm going crazy," I said to myself before crawling, with assistance, out of the 15 foot deep crater. I found some standing tide pools nearby, and washed my face and mouth of any remaining sand I could find, before splashing water onto my face.

I turned and seen the rabbit standing a few feet behind me, before splashing more cold water in my face, in order to wake up from this strange dream I was apparently having. The rabbit never left no matter how much water I splashed on my face.

"I think all of the sand is gone now," said the rabbit.

Without warning her I shoved my entire head in the water and held it there, still believing it to be a dream. The rabbit, thankfully, pulled my head out of the water before I unintentionally drowned myself.

"What are you doing, you weirdo?" Asked the rabbit.

"Sorry," I apologized, "I'm just not used to giant, talking, bipedal rabbits."

"What planet are you from? I am not giant, I am only a foot tall."

"But you are half as high as me! And I'm six foot tall!"

"No... you're two feet tall," said the rabbit, "boy, you Charmanders sure are strange."

"A what? What in the world is a Char-whatever?" I Asked as I walked back over to the tidal pool, "look at my reflection. Does this look anything like a..."

I looked at my reflection.

"I look like a LIZARD?"

I started panicking and checked out my entire body with my own eyes instead of my reflection.

"How did I turn red? What happened to my arms? WHOSE BUTT IS THIS?! How did I get a tail?! WAAAH! MY TAIL'S ON FIRE! PUT IT OUT! PUT IT OUT! PUT IT OUT!"

I started running all around the beach holding my tail and yelling 'PUT IT OUT!' while doing so, before the rabbit grabbed me by the neck with her left arm and started slapping some sense into me with the right arm. It wasn't long before it worked and I calmed down.

"Thanks for that."

"Better now?"

"Somewhat, tail's still on fire though."

"It's supposed to be that way."

"You sure?"

"Yes."

"Okay."

"So now that we've got all the ridiculous out of the way, "said the rabbit, "what's your name? where do you come from?"

"...I don't know," I admitted.

"You don't know?"

"...Nope."

"It might me amnesia, speaking of which, we need to get you checked out for wounds. Can you walk?"

"Yeah, running around in a frenzy kind of helps with numbness."

She laughed as she led me to a large building in the nearby town. These "Pokémon" as she called them, were going about their everyday lives as if I had never crashed into the beach like a meteor. I was led to a side door of the large building and we entered and I found myself in some sort of clinic with doctors and nurses caring for the patients. We were met by a round, pink Pokémon at the door.

"Well, hello there, what can I do for you?"

"It's my friend, he's-"

The pink Pokémon looked me over for a moment and then she grabbed me and called for some nurses.

"Audino, Jigglypuff, take this Charmander to exam room 12, I need to examine him pronto."

The two nurses picked me up and threw me on one of those rolling hospital beds and wheeled me into the exam room. The pink Pokémon and the Buneary were following me into the exam room. If I wasn't hurting before all this, I was now; that Pokémon needs to teach these nurses to be a bit gentler when they throw patients on beds. In the exam room, the nurses left and the pink Pokémon, the Buneary and I were the only ones left in the room.

"I'm Blissey," said the Pokémon, "I run this infirmary. So, how do you feel?"

"Like I got shot out of a cannon," I said.

"You look like it too," said Blissey

I turned to the Buneary and asked her: "Do I really look that bad?"

"I choose not to answer that," she said.

"By the way, you never told me your name."

"Oh, I guess I haven't. My name is Fluffi."

"Fluffi, Seriously?"

"Yeah, what's wrong with my name?"

"Nothing."

"What is your name?"

I sat there while Blissey was checking all my wounds and writing notes on a nearby paper. I realized that I had no clue what my name was. I guess I forgot that too. So I sat there and thought of what would be a good name. I appreciated Fluffi being so patient with me and then after a few minutes, my burning tail gave me a name, but I immediately discarded that one and went with a different one.

"Drake," I said.

"Drake, is that your actual name or just one you made up?" Asked Fluffi.

Curses, she seen right through me!

"I made it up," I admitted.

"What's your real name?" Asked Blissey.

"I'm not sure."

"What?" Asked Blissey.

"He has amnesia," said Fluffi.

"How did this happen?" Asked Blissey.

"When I crashed into the beach."

"Huh?" Asked Blissey.

"Remember that meteor that impacted on the beach?" Asked Fluffi. 

"That was me."

"HOLY BLACK ON A JYNX! How are you not dead?" Asked Blissey.

"I was hoping you could answer that." I admitted.

She looked me over for a few more minutes and patched my wounds before answering.

"No clue how you survived, it is nothing short of miraculous," said Blissey.

"Anyway," said Fluffi, "Do you want to form a team with me?"

"A team for what?" I asked.

"Exploration, treasure hunting, that sort of thing."

"Sure, why not? It's not like I've anywhere to go."

"Great! Now all we have to do is leave this place and-"

"Not so fast," said Blissey, "I gave Drake a clean bill of health, but before you leave,

what are you going to call your team?"

"Bunnyblaze," I answered. Then, Fluffi slapped me in the back of the head and told me to get serious.

"Okay, what about Dragoon?" I asked, "after the order of dragon knights by the same name."

"Is there really a order of knights named that?" Asked Fluffi.

"No," said Blissey, "they're an ancient myth."

"I thought you had amnesia," said Fluffi.

"I know some things, just not a lot," I said.

We left the building through the side door that we entered with and walked back into the building, just through the main door this time. It was quite clear to me that the infirmary was only a small portion of the building, as the rest of it looked like a grand assembly for explorers of all flavors. Just then, we were met by a canine Pokémon that reminded me of a Saint Bernard.

"Hold a moment," said the dog, "Stoutland, head of security."

"Is there a problem officer?" I asked.

Stoutland chuckled at my comment.

"Officer, how quaint," said Stoutland, "I just need to check your names to see if you're on the list of undesirables. Names?"

"Fluffi."

Stoutland checked the list he was carrying.

"Okay, you check out. Name?"

"Tom Ado," I said.

Unamused, Stoutland asked for my name again.

"Drake."

"Okay, you check out as well. Go on in."

We continued on inside and after about five minutes of wandering around aimlessly, we finally found the registration desk for exploration teams. Two small Pokémon, just about Fluffi's size, were behind the desk, arguing among themselves.

"-took my Oran Berry list night at dinner too didn't you?"

"This again? I keep telling you that it was Dragonair that done that, not me. I seen her!"

"It's your word against her's, who do you think I'm going to believe?"

"Uh, your own brother's, of course!"

"Uh huh. You blame her for everything!"

"She has it out for me! I don't know why, but sparking an argument between us is entertaining for her!"

"Last week you were saying that she wanted your job, now she's just doing it for the fun of it?"

"Both could be true! She's devious that way!"

"Um, excuse me?" Asked Fluffi.

"I'll deal with you and your paranoia later. We have visitors. I'm Minun, the cute one, the paranoid one over there is my brother Plusle."

"We run the Guild Registration desk here and unlike my sister there, I'm the good looking one."

"Please," said Minun, "I'm not the one who got the Ugly McCreeperson nickname in high school."

"That is exactly why I hated jocks," said Plusle.

"And you're the reason they hated nerds," said Minun.

"Oh you are so-!" Began Plusle.

"Shut up both of you!" I shouted, "can you two put aside your petty squabbles to do your duty for once!?"

"Heh, you said 'duty'," said Plusle.

Minun slapped him in the back of the head to shut him up.

"Anyway..." Said Fluffi, "we'd like to form a team.

"Okay, you've got paperwork to do," said Minun, "All we need is your names, your team's name and if you want this guild to train you to be a top-shelf team."

Fluffi and I talked over our decision as to whether or not to go for training before finally agreeing to go for it. Minun took the paperwork back and Plusle then led us to a staircase to the basement and informed us that we had to go down it and meet the guildmasters. We were met at the end of the stairs by a Pokémon in Stoutland's employ and were led to a closed door and we were told to go inside. Inside the room they found a green, leafy, lizard Pokémon and a white , graceful, human-like Pokémon with green hair. As they entered, the human-like Pokémon spoke.

"Please don't tell me that another one of the apprentices got incinerated, we have enough to deal with right now."

"Uh, no," Fluffi said, "We just formed a team and were told to come here."

"Does that scenario happen _that_ often?" I asked

"Oh sorry, no it doesn't," said the human-like Pokémon, "this week has just been a frustrating one for me."

"I keep telling you not to jump to conclusions, Gardevoir," said the green Pokémon.

"I know, Sceptile, I just can't stand all the crap the guild had to go through, and Plusle

and Minun's constant bickering doesn't help either," said Gardevoir.

"Well, that just goes to show you how close they are," said Sceptile, "but I digress. I am

Sceptile. I am the Guildmaster here."

"And I am Gardevoir, assistant Guildmaster to Sceptile and the guild. What is your Team's name and your own names?"

"I am Fluffi, and this is Drake. We are Team Dragoon."

"Nice name," said Sceptile, "We'll see if it's a fitting one in the days to come."

"By the way," said Gardevoir, "Who's the leader of your team?"

"Our leader?" I asked.

"Yeah, every team has to have a leader," said Gardevoir.

"That would have to be-" I began.

"Drake," said Fluffi.

"Huh? But-" I started to protest.

Fluffi put her paw over my mouth and whispered, "we'll talk about this later."

"Okay," said Sceptile ignoring the scene that just took place, "Your training program goes like this: Tomorrow, the basics of being a team will be covered and you will be introduced to the members of the guild and your fellow apprentices after dinner, don't worry, Gardevoir will wake you up. Then for the rest of the week, you will be freelancing your jobs, helping wherever you can. Next week, though, you'll be assigned jobs to do."

"And today?" Fluffi asked, removing her paw from my mouth.

"It's too late to do anything today," answered Gardevoir, "So I'll be showing you to your room so you can get some shut eye."

"Morning starts early around here," said Sceptile.

Gardevoir shown us to our room and we turned in early that night. I had no clue how tired I was from crashing into that beach earlier that day. I basically laid on my bed and was out like a light. I slept a peaceful, dreamless sleep that night.


	2. Chapter II: Outlaw!

Chapter II: Outlaw!

Gardevoir woke us up the next day, like Sceptile said she would and led us to the main assembly area for the apprentices, where Sceptile was already waiting for them.

"Good morning," said Sceptile, "I trust you had a good night sleep."

"Best I had since that incident at the beach," I admitted.

"What incident?" Asked Gardevoir.

"It's a long story," I said.

"I dreamed I was surrounded by funnel cakes," said Fluffi, "Best. Dream. Ever."

Looking around the room, I noticed that the four of us were the only ones present.

"Guildmaster, where is everyone else?" I asked.

"Off doing jobs," said Sceptile, "You were woken up after we already gave the other apprentices their assignments."

"You will meet them," said Gardevoir, "just not right now. Right now we've got to teach you the basics of being a team."

The guildmasters then explained to us how to be a team and just what being on a team really means. We went over what these things that were dubbed "Mystery Dungeons" were. It was basically a question and answer session after that. They were unable to explain to us where the Mystery Dungeons came from, turns out, no one knew.

"Now to wrap it up, we must go over the guild's rules," said Sceptile, "it's just basic things like get up when you're told, respect your fellow guild-mates, don't kill anyone, justified or not, unless permission is given by myself or Gardevoir here."

Fluffi and I looked at each other with confused looks because of that last comment.

"Lastly," said Gardevoir, "above all, look out for your fellow guild-mates. If someone threatens one of us, we all share the threat."

"Huh?" Asked Fluffi.

"It means if someone endangers one member, everyone teams up to punish that Pokémon," I said.

"In a nutshell," said Gardevoir.

"Now, if there aren't any more questions, go into the room where you first met us," said Sceptile, "we'll bring your dinner to you and then you can meet your guild-mates."

A few hours passed. Fluffi and I were alone in the guildmasters' chambers just talking and Fluffi was trying to 're-acquaint' me with the Pokémon world with mixed success. After this Gardevoir stepped into the room without a word and closed the door behind her.

"Can we come out now?" I asked.

"Almost, I'm bringing you out when I hear my cue," said Gardevoir.

Gardevoir put her ear to the door and opened it a crack, so now all three of us could hear Sceptile addressing the guild.

"Now, for the first time in a long time, we have two more Pokémon joining us as apprentices."

We could hear the apprentices wondering who the new guys could be.

"May I present to you our new apprentices, Team Dragoon."

"Follow me," said Gardevoir.

We were led out of the room and into the assembly area where we were greeted by our new guild-mates.

"Introduce yourselves," said Gardevoir.

"I am Fluffi."

"And I am Drake."

We were introduced to Kevin the Riolu, Ariel the Pidgeotto, Sanderson the Gabite, Sapphire the Glameow, Elena the Pikachu, Victini, Rand the Rhyhorn, Sally the Floatzel, Banzai the Poochyena and Rose the Roselia the other apprentices. Then we were introduced to the other Pokémon running the guild, Plusle and Minun, handling registration, Stoutland, head of security, and Blissey, who runs the infirmary, all of which we already met. There were also some Pokémon who we haven't met running the guild, Dragonair, running the assembly desk, Beautifly, who cooks all the guild's meals, Arcanine, head of guild discipline and Mienshao, who is in charge of the two mission boards.

"Now starting tomorrow, for the rest of the week, if any of you need help on any of your missions, just ask them," said Gardevoir, addressing the other apprentices, "just remember, since they joined as a team, they're a package deal. You want one, you get both."

"Two for one sale, everything must go!" I said.

"Get them while they're hot! Hurry while supplies last! Must be eighteen or older to order," said Fluffi.

Everyone started laughing except for Sceptile who was facepalming. After about five minutes of laughter, Sceptile spake up.

"Now that we've got the silliness out of the way, I want you all to make Drake and Fluffi feel welcome. Take some time to get to know each other, just remember to get to bed sometime."

Sceptile and Gardevoir retired into their room and everyone else mingled and shared stories and got to know us and we them. Victini was the most interested in learning all about us and kept talking to us well into the midnight hour.

"By the way, Victini," said Fluffi, "are you that Victini that sometimes shows up during V-Wave season?"

"No, that's my brother," said Victini, "he's the dork of our family. Always striking poses when he says 'V-Wheel'. He was so annoying that I ran away from home and joined this guild just so I could beat him up the next time I see him."

"Sure it sounds annoying, but aren't you going a little overboard?"

"You live with him for a week and you'll be wanting to beat him up too."

Other than Victini being a chatterbox, the only noteworthy things that happened until we went to bed were the fact that Rose and Dragonair were hitting on me and Fluffi was trying to get in their way. Even though there was nothing between us at all, after all, we just met. Saying that there was is just- where was I? Oh, right! Got off track there for a moment again. The last noteworthy thing to happen was when we were informed of the initiation.

"Initiation?" I asked, "is this going to hurt or mentally scar us for life?"

"No, it's not a frat house initiation," said Kevin.

"Basically, your first mission has to be a C rank outlaw," said Elena.

"Not too bad," said Fluffi.

"I'm waiting for the 'but'," I said.

Minun slapped Plusle on the back of the head again.

"Don't you even dare," said Minun.

"We select the outlaw for you and if you fail your pictures go on the Wall of Shame," said Sally pointing at the board attached to the far wall.

The pictures on the wall had doodles drawn all over them. All designed to humiliate the Pokémon in them.

"You get your picture up there, it will never come down," said Arcanine.

"Noted," said Fluffi.

We went right to sleep that night, worn out by Victini's mouth. How a female could talk that long was beyond me. We woke up the next day and headed to the mission board, accompanied by Dragonair, who was selected as the one to pick us out an outlaw.

"Why do I get the feeling that we will get the worst outlaw on the board?" I asked.

"If I got you two killed, not only would I get the boot, but I would also get MY picture on the wall," said Dragonair.

"What's Mienshao doing to that poor board?" Asked Fluffi.

"She's just updating it," said Dragonair.

Mienshao finished updating the board and turned around to see us standing there.

"So, you got 'volunteered' huh, Dragonair?"

"Yeah, it was half of the apprentices, Arcanine and Plusle, against me."

"If you didn't go out of your way so often to mess with Plusle, he probably wouldn't have voted against you."

"But it's so much fun to mess with him."

"Try to restrain yourself in the future. We got off-track somewhere. Pick out the Pokémon to beat up the newbies."

"Um, we're right here!" Said Fluffi.

"You want a medal?" Asked Mienshao.

Fluffi shot her a warning glance. Dragonair, at that moment, picked out an outlaw for them and handed the paper with the mark's info to me. I read what was on the paper.

 _Client: Heliolisk_

 _Target: Hawlucha_

 _Rank: C_

 _Location: Dense Forest_

 _Description: Go to Dense Forest to punish Hawlucha. This Pokémon takes a perverse thrill in assaulting travelers calling it "wrestling". Approach with extreme caution. This Pokémon can't be allowed to go free._

 _Reward: 500 Poké + ?_

"So in other words, we have to arrest a bandit and we have no items or money with which to buy them," I said.

"Well, if everyone could do it, it wouldn't be much of a test, would it?" Asked Dragonair.

"I guess not," said Fluffi.

"If you manage to knock Hawlucha out, just raise your team badge in the air and the authorities will arrive shortly to arrest him," said Mienshao.

After managing to scrounge together some items from handouts in town, we left town and entered into Dense Forest. We got lost there a few times before we finally made it to the deepest part of the dungeon. In the clearing there a bipedal, hawk-like Pokémon with markings on its face like a mask jumped down from a tree and landed on the ground. I looked at the picture of the outlaw on the paper. It was a match. We found our outlaw.

"Two new challengers have arrived," said Hawlucha.

"Hawlucha, we are Team Dragoon! We are here to bring you in!" I said.

"You?" Asked Hawlucha, who then laughed, "I've been chased by some sorry looking teams in my time, but you two take the cake. Let me guess, this is your first job."

"You don't look too strong yourself," said Fluffi.

"I am strong enough to knock you two out of my ring," said Hawlucha, "enough talk, let's Lucha!"

Hawlucha tackled me without warning, knocking me on my back.

"Pound!" said Fluffi who gave a sharp ear-punch to Hawlucha's gut.

"Darn you!" Yelled Hawlucha.

I jumped to my feet and breathed a Smokescreen right at Hawlucha's face, so close he couldn't hope to dodge it.

"You jerks!" Yelled Hawlucha, covering his eyes. He then leapt back a bit and used Claws to raise his attack.

"Baby Doll Eyes!" Said Fluffi, lowering Hawlucha's attack back to normal.

"Ember!" I said, blasting Hawlucha point-blank with a fireball and burning him.

"What was that for?!" Asked Hawlucha.

"Sorry, but where there's smoke, there's fire," I said, mocking him.

"I'm getting immense pleasure from messing with you," said Fluffi, smirking.

"Wing Attack!" Hawlucha yelled as he came after me.

I waited until the right moment and then blinded Hawlucha with another Smokescreen and used the cover from it to evade the attack.

"I'm going to have to ask you to do me a solid and not blow more smoke in my eyeballs!" Said Hawlucha.

"Pound!" Yelled Fluffi.

"Karate Chop!" Yelled Hawlucha.

I dove underneath Hawlucha's attack and pushed Fluffi out of the way, taking the full force of the attack. Fluffi then jumped and continued her attack, on Hawlucha's head. This gave him a Grade-A concussion and knocked him out.

"Thanks for that, Drake," said Fluffi pulling me off the ground.

"He's probably going to have the world's biggest migraine when he wakes up though," I said.

"Drake, you do the honors."

I raised my badge to summon the authorities, while Fluffi searched through our bag and found an Oran Berry.

"Eat this," said Fluffi, "It will help with your wounds."

I did as instructed and found that she was right about the berry's strange healing properties. At least it made the pain go away.

"Once the authorities arrive, let's head back to the guild and inform them that the wall won't be getting bigger today," said Fluffi.

As it turns out, Heliolisk was the Police Chief of the region and was the one who arrived to pick up Hawlucha. We returned to the guild with our 450 Poké (the guild took 10% of the reward money) and Reviver Seed reward and informed everyone of our success. This is how Day 2 at the guild ended.


	3. Chapter III: The Great Pokémon Detective

Chapter III: The Great Pokémon Detective

The rest of the week was uneventful in comparison, we helped out a few times with other apprentices' jobs and accepted some of our own jobs when we weren't needed for help. We mostly did outlaw missions and we were getting good at them. Sunday came around and that's when things started getting interesting again.

"For today, you will all check the mission boards as always. Except for Team Dragoon, as you are now out of your first week at the guild, you won't be helping anyone this time." said Sceptile.

"I hope we're not going to be doing the dishes or something." I said.

"Nothing like that," said Gardevoir, "you two are going to be playing detective."

"I must've misunderstood you," said Rose, "I thought you said they were going to be playing detective."

"They are," said Gardevoir, "and this is no joke. Kecleon, at the general store, has asked for help. Apparently, he has a problem that requires a detective."

"And since no PI's operate around here, the job falls to the guild," said Fluffi.

"Yup, plus I figured that this would be a welcome break for you from your usual work," said Sceptile.

"Okay then, after breakfast, we'll go visit Kecleon," I said.

We ate breakfast and then went into town to find Kecleon. On the way to his store, in town, a fight was brewing.

"I told you to get out of my way!"

"Sorry, didn't see you down there, shrimp."

"Out of my way, Houndour!"

"Sorry, this path doesn't open for any Starly. Especially a runt like you!"

"Out of my way, meathead!"

"Time for punishment, munchkin!"

I had enough, I stepped in between them with my arms outstretched, preventing them from fighting.

"Get out of the way, you mutant lizard!" Said Houndour.

Something about that insult just got under my skin. Everyone in a 100 foot radius got quiet at that moment except for Houndour. Even Starly was silent. I then made a fist and hit Houndour as hard as I could sending him flying and knocking him out. I then turned to Starly.

"You want one too?!" I asked.

"Mommy!" Yelled Starly as he ran as fast as he could. I think he wet himself.

Fluffi stood a few yards away and waited until I simmered down before approaching me.

"Nice work," she said as nearby Pokémon hauled Houndour off, "a little brutal though."

"I don't know what came over me," I said.

"It's your Charmander nature. You never, under any circumstances, call a Charmander, any of its evolutions, or any Dragon type, a 'lizard'. A lot of Pokémon have ended up in hospitals or worse for doing that."

"Did he know that?"

"Of course he did. But lately, Pokémon all over the world tend to get angry quite easily and are prone to start fights. Because of this, Pokémon tend not to think anymore before opening their big yappers."

"That explains Plusle."

We continued on and found Kecleon. Managing the store, as always.

"Welcome," said Kecleon, "What are you looking to buy today?"

"Nothing today," said Fluffi, "We're here to help you with your problem."

"Well then, let's cut to the chase. Normally people would come to me to buy TMs, but now the Pokémon seem to be getting them from a shadowy figure." said Kecleon.

"A shadowy figure?" I asked.

"Yeah, normally I wouldn't bother anyone about this, but the bad part is that the TMs received from this Pokémon explode upon use, seriously injuring the user."

"I see," said Fluffi, "anything else?"

"Sorry, that's as much as I know," said Kecleon, "the victims of this TM scam are in the infirmary now. Perhaps one of them can tell you who the culprit is."

"Then that is where we'll start," I said.

"Give anything you find to Officer Heliolisk," said Kecleon, "he's been trying to track the culprit down too."

We traveled to the infirmary. There, Blissey let us talk to the victims. All they were able to give us though, was a general description and that the culprit always met them on the outskirts of town. We decided to visit the mission boards to see if we could find an outlaw to match the description. At the boards though, we found Officer Heliolisk there ahead of us.

"Hello again," said Heliolisk.

"Why are you here?" Asked Fluffi.

"Handing out new outlaws for Mienshao to put on the board," said Heliolisk.

"Can we help you?" Asked Mienshao.

"Yeah," I said, "we're investigating the TM scam and we've got a description of the culprit. So we came here to see if the culprit is on the board."

"Well, what does the culprit look like?" Asked Heliolisk.

"A black bird Pokémon, about my height, whose head feathers look like a wide-brimmed hat," I said.

Mienshao looked through the papers she was holding.

"I think this is who you want," said Mienshao putting the paper where everyone could see, "his name is Honchkrow."

"Honchkrow, I should've known, he's wanted for being a thief, a con artist, a cheat, everything along those lines," said Heliolisk.

"Did you find out where Honchkrow carries out his scam?" Asked Mienshao.

"The outskirts of town," said Fluffi.

"Then, there's no time to waste, let's go," said Heliolisk.

"Not you," I said, "everyone around town knows you, so I think your presence would scare him off. Leave this to us."

"Okay, don't screw this up or we may never get another chance," said Heliolisk.

We walked to the outskirts of town and kept hidden while searching for Honchkrow. We finally found him acting real suspiciously and decided to trail him. We went into an old, abandoned warehouse. We followed him in and found him just standing in the middle of the warehouse, far away from any cover, just staring into space. We stopped hiding and ever so quietly, walked up behind him.

"So, someone finally corners me," said Honchkrow, "yes I knew you were following me the whole time. I have eyes and ears everywhere."

"Then why did you let us follow you here?" Asked Fluffi.

"Isn't it obvious?" Asked Honchkrow, turning around.

"This is a trap," I said.

"Bingo," said Honchkrow.

Just then, ten Pokémon jumped out of hiding and we found ourselves surrounded by Purrloins.

"Great, a monster house," said Fluffi.

Honchkrow then flew out of one of the windows.

"Here they come!" Warned Fluffi.

All ten of them unleashed a flurry of Scratch attacks, we managed to dodge most of them, but a few got us. Somehow though, we managed to get ourselves backed into a corner.

"Fluffi, use Defense Curl now!"

She did as I told her and I used her curled up body to jump off of to gain quite a bit of height and used Smokescreen on the lot of them, blinding them. Fluffi, then uncurled and used a Return and Pound combination to KO a few of them. I think she broke one of the Purrloins' jaw. The remaining Purrloins all used Fury Swipes, but since they couldn't see, they ended up mostly hurting each other, with only one stray attack scratching my left arm.

"Ember!"

I could smell burning fur from the group of Purrloins I fired my attack at and managed to KO two of them. Now only four Purrloins remain.

"Return!"

Fluffi cracked the closest Purrloin in the head, KO-ing it and knocking it into another Purrloin. The Smokescreen dissipated then. When the remaining Purrloin noticed that they were down to three, they used Fury Swipes on us in a rage, well except for the one Fluffi buried. I dodged that attack, but it came awfully close to my face.

"Ember!" I yelled as I hit that Purrloin point-blank with the attack, causing it to faint.

Meanwhile, Fluffi successfully dodged the other Purrloin and Pounded it in the face, causing a KO. The last one was still buried, but I freed her and bull rushed her into some nearby boxes and then used a pile driver on her.

"Ow! You win! Okay, brute?" Said the Purrloin.

"Where did Honchkrow go?!" I snapped.

"Rusty Cave! He uses it as a field office! Please don't kill me!" Pleaded Purrloin.

Fluffi and I ran to Rusty Cave, eating a few Oran Berries along the way. That Purrloin, we believed he was sincere. We got to the cave and ran, not walked to the bottom floor and found Honchkrow reading a book.

"Found you, little coward!" I yelled.

Honchkrow jumped as soon as he heard my voice.

"You, they, I thought those Purrloin had killed you!" Yelled Honchkrow in surprise.

"Obviously, they failed," said Fluffi.

"Well, I don't know how you managed to beat them or how you found me here, but you're in my world now," said Honchkrow, tossing the book aside, "I've never met two Pokémon as persistent as you."

"We're Team Dragoon, and we're going to bring you down!" I said.

"A team, huh?" Said Honchkrow, "I must kill you now or I'll never get any peace. Prepare to die!"

Honchkrow got airborne and rushed toward Fluffi, ready to use Wing Attack. Seeing this, I jumped in the way.

"Ember!" I yelled, blasting a fireball right at Honchkrow's face.

"Ow! My face!"

"Return!" I yelled, hitting Honchkrow in the leg as he was reeling from my last attack.

"Ow! My good leg!"

"Baby Doll Eyes!" Yelled Fluffi, lowering Honchkrow's Attack

"You two are making me so mad! Night Slash!" Yelled Honchkrow.

Honchkrow was upon me before I knew it, he then used Night Slash on me, slashing my chest, but luckily, it didn't crit. Fluffi was quick on the rebound, using Pound on Honchkrow to get him off of me.

"Return!" Fluffi and I yelled at the same time, hitting Honchkrow in one pectoral muscle each, or whatever the avian equivalent of that is.

Honchkrow was knocked into the far cave wall after our double attack. Honchkrow soon emerged from the wall, with barely a scratch on him.

"What's he made of?" Asked Fluffi.

"Pursuit!" Yelled Honchkrow as he flew toward us.

I quickly reached into the bag I was carrying and grabbed two random seeds without looking and threw them at Honchkrow. Somehow, I managed to throw both of them into his mouth, causing him to stop the attack premature. Honchkrow then fell asleep. Well, now I know what one of those seeds was.

"Good work throwing that Sleep Seed and that Doom Seed," said Fluffi, "now my turn."

Fluffi walked up to the sleeping Honchkrow and used Return on him, causing a KO.

"It's over," I said.

"Now all we have to do is get Heliolisk down here and report back to Kecleon, and we're done," said Fluffi.

Honchkrow was arrested and Kecleon was given the good news. Honchkrow insisted that he had friends on the outside and that they would get him out someday. Later, we gave the guildmasters the full report and then ate dinner and headed off to bed. I wonder what tomorrow will bring.


	4. Chapter IV: The Accursed One

Chapter IV: The Accursed One

About two weeks happened with not really any noteworthy events. We did our assigned jobs as we were told. Mostly, we stuck with outlaw missions, since we seemed to have a natural talent for that sort of thing. Then, as we were talking with some of the other apprentices, something strange happened.

"-Then the giant Clamperls were trying to sink the city, so I swam right under it and plugged a leak, with just my left butt cheek," said Kevin.

"I just asked you where you got that scar and you give me a weird, totally made up story about giant Clamperls!?" I said.

"-and Cloysters," said Kevin.

"You'll have to forgive him," said Sapphire, "he's a bit of a show-off and tall tale teller."

"You didn't let me get to the part about the Sea Aipoms living in the sewers," said Kevin.

"Can I electrocute him now!?" Asked Elena.

"No," said Fluffi.

Just then a strange Pokémon ran toward us and pushed everyone else out of the way, thrust something into my hands and then ran off without a word.

"What was that about?" Asked Kevin.

"What's that you have?" Asked Fluffi.

"The Pokémon shoved it into my hands," I said as I read the paper I was handed.

When I finished reading, I grabbed Fluffi's paw.

"We've got to go," I said, "emergency team conference."

I then dragged off Fluffi into a hidden area of the guild, out of sight and earshot of everyone else.

"What is this all about?" Asked Fluffi.

"This," I said, showing Fluffi the paper.

It read: _To the southwest, along the sea coast is a forgotten pirate hoard at a place called Treasure Cove. You get first dibs on the treasure._

"The rest is blank," I said.

"A pirate hoard? Seriously?" Asked Fluffi.

"It's clearly a trap."

"But what if it's not?"

"Should we inform the guildmasters?"

"And let them grab MY treasure?! No way! We'll grab our choice of the plunder then inform the guild. Come on, let's go."

Fluffi started walking out of the guild dragging me along. All the way there I kept on thinking that this was a bad idea. We journeyed along the sea coast for a few hours before we came to the place Fluffi believed was Treasure Cove. We walked around inside the dungeon until at last we came to a dead end room that was clearly overrun with ancient traps.

"Why trap this room? And why make the traps so obvious?" Asked Fluffi, "could we be near the end?"

"The traps are most likely still active," I said pointing at a nearby Crocanaw skeleton, "watch your step."

"Don't worry, I'll be care-," began Fluffi.

I pulled Fluffi to the ground as a hidden circular saw blade almost cut her head off.

"What was that about being careful?"

"Whoops! Thanks for saving my hide."

"Just look before you walk."

"Where is this treasure anyway?"

"Well, if I know anything about pirates," I said feeling around a rocky wall, "they've probably left a secret entrance right about... here."

I pressed a hidden button and a door in the rock wall opened to reveal a cave entrance.

"Let's go," said Fluffi.

We walked into the cave and dodged more traps on the way, until we emerged from the cave into a large, open air chamber. We thought nothing of it and started to continue on until we heard a distant screeching sound.

"Did you hear that?" Asked Fluffi.

I nodded my head and we both stood in place, looking around to find the source of the screech. A little while later, a flaming bird Pokémon flew at rocket speeds and landed in front of us.

"I am Moltres! Prepare to die!" Screeched the Pokémon.

Moltres used Steel Wing on Fluffi, before I could even react, sending her flying

.

"I will burn your bones to ash! Heat Wave!"

Moltres launched a wave of fire on Fluffi causing her to crash into the far wall and effectively removing her from the battle. Then, I felt something odd happen with my bowels and looked behind me to find that I had dropped about 20lbs.

"Aw man," I said.

Moltres then started charging up an attack and I knew this was it for us. My entire life flashed before my eyes. Why were there so many Tomato Berries? That's it I'm cutting down.

"Sky Att- Ow!" Screeched Moltres in pain as a lion Pokémon used Tackle on her, stopping the attack.

"Who?" I asked in relief and disbelief.

"Filthy Pyroar! You will share their fate!" Screeched Moltres.

"No time to talk, here she comes," said Pyroar.

Moltres used Steel Wing on Pyroar, but he managed to evade it with Tackle and landed a solid hit on Moltres.

"Return!" I yelled, following up on Pyroar's attack, hitting Moltres's lower torso

Moltres's body started glowing again as she started charging up her attack.

"Now, while we have a chance!" Said Pyroar.

"Fire Fang!"

"Dragon Rage!" I yelled.

Even after taking both attacks, she still kept on charging, apparently she only stopped before due to Pyroar surprising her.

"Sky Attack!" Yelled Moltres, wrapping herself in blue flame and flying at Pyroar

Pyroar took the full force of the attack, and though visibly hurt, he shrugged it off as if it was nothing.

"Ember!" Said Pyroar, blasting Moltres with a fireball and barely hurting her.

"Return!" I yelled, but missed Moltres by a mile with the attack as she flew around it

Moltres then started gathering up sunlight for Solarbeam.

"Now's our chance!" I yelled.

Pyroar used Ember and I used Dragon Rage at the same time. The Ember seemed to cloak my attack in flames. Both attacks hit Moltres doing critical damage. Then, Moltres stopped all movement and the entire dungeon started shaking.

"What in the world is happening?" Fluffi asked. I had forgotten she was still here with us.

Then Moltres started glowing a fiery red and made a loud buzzing sound. I knew what would happen now. I pushed Fluffi back on the ground and shielded her with my body. Moltres exploded in a fiery explosion. The shockwave shielded me from most of the blast and ended up knocking Fluffi and I across the room and knocked me out.

I woke up a while later with Fluffi shaking me awake. I opened my eyes and sat up, Fluffi was bruised pretty bad from the attack by Moltres, but she was clearly more concerned about me. I took the blast for Fluffi, so I supposed I looked worse than her. Pyroar was sitting a few yards away, with barely a scratch on him. He was watching us, but he shown no emotion on his face, so it was impossible to read what he was thinking. That's when I remembered.

"Moltres!" I yelled, jumping to my feet and scaring Fluffi half to death, "where is she?"

"She exploded," said Pyroar.

"So, we killed her?" I asked.

"Not quite," said Pyroar, "Moltres was never here to begin with."

"Are you crazy?" Asked Fluffi, "that Steel Wing and Heat Wave combo felt pretty real to me."

Pyroar stood up and continued, "that Moltres's name was actually Feuervogel, an Accursed One. The real Moltres lives far away on Wild Volcano far to the northwest of here."

"Feuervogel? Accursed One?" I asked.

"Right," said Pyroar, "the Accursed Ones aren't actually Pokémon, they're merely a collection of the darkest, most evil, thoughts and desires of Pokémon in the area and amplify those same thoughts and feelings until there's naught left in the hearts of those Pokémon. Not unlike the Bittercold that was destroyed a few decades ago."

Fluffi had told me about the story of the Bittercold, a physical manifestation of all the negative emotions of the world's Pokémon. She said that the only one who could stand up to it was a human turned Pokémon.

"But the Bittercold was a giant crystal, why did this one turn into Moltres?" Asked Fluffi.

"An Accursed One's form is chosen by what the local Pokémon fear the most and may change forms with time," said Pyroar, "in the case of the Bittercold, another of the Accursed Ones, what most Pokémon in the world feared was the world becoming as dark and cold as those who lived in it, so it changed into a mysterious ice crystal. This Accursed One was not quite as strong as the Bittercold, but it was an Accursed One none the less."

"Why lie to us and hide its true name?" I asked.

"An Accursed One will try to deceive you and pretend it is something it is not," said Pyroar, "this is used to increase your fear and helps to feed it."

"So any one of these Accursed Ones could become the next Bittercold," said Fluffi.

"In a way, they already are," said Pyroar, "but you are correct."

"So then, Molt- er, Feuervogel is-," I began.

"Gone," said Pyroar, "dissipated back into the dark hearts that made it come into being."

"Is this why the Pokémon of the world are so ill tempered?" I asked.

"No, the Accursed ones just amplify the feelings that already exist, the true cause lies elsewhere."

"By the way, thanks for the save back there," I said, "but, not to sound ungrateful or anything, by why are you here? Are you hunting these Accursed Ones?"

"No, I am looking for something that exists on this continent. I just happened to be here at this time and place."

"Okay," I said.

"Good luck with your adventuring and be more careful in the future," said Pyroar.

Pyroar then leapt away from the dungeon and continued on his way.

"So, it was a trap after all, just as I thought," I said, "someone wanted Feuervogel to kill us."

"It would've worked too if not for Pyroar," said Fluffi.

"Tch, saved by the plot it seems," I said.

"The plot? Of what?"

"Let's just say that I have a feeling that this is not the last we'll see of Pyroar or the Accursed Ones."

We went on to the final chamber and found the treasure, a small wealth of TMs, and claimed the ones we thought would become of use in the future and gave the rest to Sceptile and Gardevoir, who both congratulated us for finding the treasure and scolded us for falling for the trap in the first place. I gave what little description I could of the Pokémon that put us up to the trap, then we retired to our rooms early. Feuervogel whooped us good. 'Let's just say that I have a feeling that this is not the last we'll see of Pyroar or the Accursed Ones': I had no clue just how true those words were.


	5. Chapter V: Prepare for Trouble

Chapter V: Prepare for Trouble

A few days passed and we were waiting in the main assembly area with the other apprentices for the morning address as always. It started as a day like any other, Kevin and Rand were arguing about who was stronger, Banzai, Ariel, and Sanderson were trying not to fall back asleep and Rose was hitting on me, yep, normal morning.

"Hey there, hunk," said Rose, "why don't you drop the kid and get with the grown up? I'll treat you right."

"Hold your horses!" Said Fluffi, "How many times do we have to go over this? He mine, not yours!"

"Sorry, I had no idea you two were dating."

"Dating? We're not-" stammered a blushing Fluffi, "go over there and stop annoying me!"

"If you two aren't dating, then he's available."

"Get over there or I'll kick your rosy butt over there myself!"

Victini put her hand to my ear, wherever that was, and whispered into it.

 _"I can get rid of them both if you want me to."_

 _"No that won't be necessary."_

 _"Okay, but if you ever change your mind..."_

Sceptile then started speaking, but this time with some grave news.

"Settle down!"

Everyone got quiet.

"First, we have some news to share. It seems that we've lost contact with Steadfast Island."

"Steadfast Island? I've never heard of it," said Elena.

"I have," said Rand, "It is far to the northeast of the mainland. It is home to a large population of Steel and Rock type Pokémon. They have their own castle and everything."

"Correct," said Gardevoir, "we have no idea if this has anything to do with the Mystery Dungeons or not, but we ask that as you do your board missions, if you hear any additional information, please tell Heliolisk right away."

"Under no circumstances are any of you to go to Steadfast Island," said Sceptile, "We don't want to 'lose contact' with you too. Dismissed."

After breakfast, we dropped by the Kecleon market to buy supplies and as we were walking through town, Fluffi spake.

"So, leader, where are we going now?" Asked Fluffi.

"Hey! Why am I the leader anyway? You know a lot more about what's going on than I do!" I said.

"Because I own you!"

"You do not!"

"Silence, slave!"

"Yes, master."

"So, again I ask, where are we going?"

"Steadfast Island."

"You do realize that that's the very place we were warned to stay away from, right?" Asked Fluffi.

"Of course," I said, "but remember what happened at Treasure Cove. An Accursed One was there. If an Accursed One is on Steadfast Island, then it could be the reason we lost contact with them."

"And if it is one of them, the entire island could be in danger, right?"

"Correct."

"Then, every minute is precious!"

"Now, you're up to speed."

"And you plan to get there by walking? Hate to be the one to inform you, but islands are usually surrounded by water."

"I was hoping there would be a Mystery Dungeon that could get us across."

"I know a better, much faster, way to get there. Follow me."

Fluffi took point and led me along a wooded path. As we were walking, a sudden sandstorm engulfed us. We stood there shielding our eyes, when we heard voices laughing all around us.

"Fluffi, you know what to do," I said.

I spun Fluffi around and around as fast as I could, then hit the dirt. Fluffi fired a Charge Beam as she was spinning causing the voices to screech in pain and the sandstorm to subside. As the sands were settling down, we seen a pile of four Pokémon, laying on the ground.

"Who are you four?" I asked.

the four of them got up and stood there anime style. They were a Braixen, a Krokorok, a Meowth and a Wobbuffet. Really the only odd thing about that group was the fact that the Krokorok was holding a rose.

"Prepare for trouble, that's our name," said the Braixen.

"And make it double, your group is lame," said the Krokorok.

"To protect the world from devastation."

"To unite all peoples within our nation."

"To denounce the evils of truth and love."

"To extend our reach to the stars above."

"Jesse."

"James."

"Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light."

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight."

"Meowth, that's right!" Said the Meowth.

"Wobbuffet!" Said the Wobbuffet.

Both of us sweat-dropped anime style.

"And they call US lame?" I asked.

"Must be desperate for attention," said Fluffi.

"Know any other ways there?" I asked.

"Yeah, over this way," said Fluffi.

Then Team Rocket cut us off.

"We give you our totally awesome motto and you give us the brush off!?" Said Meowth.

"Wobbuffet!"

"Pipe down, blobby!" Said Jesse.

"Wobba- Wobba!"

"Let's humor them for now," I whispered to Fluffi.

"What are you dorks doing here to begin with?" Asked Fluffi.

"Nice, that won't come back to bite us later," I said sarcastically.

"You're calling us dorks?" Asked James.

"No, the invisible guys next to you," I said rolling my eyes.

"I'll have you know that we're remarkably un-dorkish!" Said Meowth.

"Wobbuffet!"

"We heard that you're quite lousy with TMs and we want them," said Jesse.

"So, in other words you are here to ask politely if you could have them," said Fluffi.

"Yes, that is our master plan," said James.

"That plan is as stupid as I am pretty," said Fluffi.

"Then, time for plan B! We take them by force!" Said Meowth.

"Wobbuffet!"

Jesse used Scratch on me and James used Bite on Fluffi. I grabbed Jesse's arm and threw her at James.

"Thanks for that."

I gave Fluffi a thumbs up and used Iron Tail on both Jesse and James.

"Fury Swipe-!" Began Meowth.

"Power-Up Punch!" Yelled Fluffi, giving him a mouthful of high-powered ear and knocking him into the pile o' Team Rocket as well.

"Wobbuffet!"

"Get in there and help you dolt!" Yelled Jesse.

"Wobba- Wobba!"

I used Iron Tail again, but this time on Wobbuffet, knocking him into the pile as well.

"Ow!" Yelled the other members of Team Rocket.

"Charge Beam!" Yelled Fluffi, hitting the four of them with the attack, sending them flying.

"We need to work on your battling spirit!" Yelled Jesse.

"Wobbuffet!"

"I was afraid you'd say that," said Jesse.

"Looks like we're blasting off again!"

*Twinkle*

"Again? How often does that happen to them?" I asked.

"Probably all the time," said Fluffi.

"Well, isn't about time we found your friend?"

"Now that Team Lame-O is out of the picture, we shouldn't have anything left to worry about. This way."

We continued down the path and eventually arrived at a small cottage.

"In here," said Fluffi, who then led me to the front door of the cottage.

She knocked on the door, then a voice from inside the cottage told us to come in, so we did.

"Fluffi! We were wondering when we'd see you again!" Said a poodle-like Pokémon.

"Hm? Who's your friend?" Asked a Fox-like Pokémon.

"Let me introduce you. Furfrou, Ninetails, this is Drake. Drake this is Furfrou and Ninetails, they're dungeon researchers," said Fluffi.

"Pleased to meet you," I said as I bent down and kissed Ninetails's paw.

"Oh, a gentleman," said Ninetails.

"Drake and I started a team about a month ago," said Fluffi.

"Are you two mates?" Asked Furfrou.

"No! No! Nothing like that!" Yelled Fluffi and I at the same time.

"Ha, ha! It's written all over your faces," teased Ninetails.

"It is not!" We both said at the same time.

"Ninetails, quit teasing them," said Furfrou.

"Oh, you always ruin my fun," said Ninetails.

"Well, I assume you two aren't here on a social call, so what are you here for?" Asked Furfrou.

"We need to get to Steadfast Island as fast as possible," I said.

"Can you get us there?" Asked Fluffi.

"Just WHO do you think you're talking to?" Asked Ninetails.

"We'll just use the Magnagate," said Furfrou.

"What's a Magnagate?" I asked.

"We'll show you," said Ninetails.

Furfrou and Ninetails led us to a large machine they kept at the back of the house and then Furfrou started fumbling with a nearby bag.

"THIS is a Magnagate?" I asked, staring at the large machine.

"Not exactly," said Fluffi.

"We've got to summon it," said Ninetails, "we just use this machine to study the energies that Magnagates emit. You see, it is our dream to be able to replicate the energy at any time we want to. This should revolutionize the way we all travel."

Furfrou brought a set of four playing-card-like things from the bag and set three in the center of the machine.

"You see, a Magnagate is like a pathway that we can create with these cards, dubbed Entercards, to get somewhere a lot faster," said Furfrou.

"That's amazing!" I said, "but wait this 'Magnagate' is one-way, isn't it?"

"Usually that would be the case, as it disappears after you arrive at the destination," said Ninetails, "but we've made a few improvements with this machine."

Ninetails handed Fluffi a strange device.

"On the other side of the Magnagate, after you finish your business there, place this device where the Magnagate once was," said Ninetails, "it will send a signal back to this machine to re-open the gate for you."

"Just mind that you do it exactly where the gate was," said Furfrou, "strange things happen to the machine if you don't."

"One bug we haven't been able to fix, sadly," said Ninetails.

"Place device where the Magnagate once was to get back, got it," I said.

"Enough talk," said Fluffi, "I think he's ready to see the Magnagate now."

Furfrou placed the last card in the center of the machine and then a red light erupted from the cards as a large portal appeared, large enough for the four of us and several more Pokémon. I jumped when I seen this, it was the most amazing thing I'd ever seen.

"Wow! That's a Magnagate?" I said.

"Yep, been a long time since I traveled this way," said Fluffi.

"What do we owe you for this?" I asked.

"Nothing, any friend of Fluffi's is a friend of us," said Furfrou.

"Now go," said Ninetails, "the Magnagate won't last long."

We jumped onto the machine and into the Magnagate. the light enveloped us and everything seemed to fade into the light. All I could think about at that time was 'what if we end up in the middle of the ocean or inside a giant Swalot's belly?'


	6. Chapter VI: The Lone Survivor

Chapter VI: The Lone Survivor

We finally emerged from the Magnagate and found ourselves, well, it looked like the top of some really steep cliffs. The Magnagate disappeared and left a gouge in the ground where it once was.

"Where are we?" I asked.

Fluffi checked the map and pointed to a spot on it, "right here, a place called Rusty Rise, we are only a few minutes' walk from Platinum Palace. We are on Steadfast Island."

"Wow, that Magnagate-thing is amazing," I said.

"Yeah, it truly is," said Fluffi, "but let's not forget why we're here."

"I know, we have to find out why contact was lost with this island. The palace would probably be a good place to start."

"I agree, let's go."

We headed to the castle's outside bridge and ran across two Pokémon standing guard, but they seemed a little 'off,' well, they seemed to be... sleepwalking.

"Hey, a Geodude and a Honedge, I wonder if they-," began Fluffi, but I interrupted her by placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Stop," I whispered, "those two, well, something's strange about them."

"Halt, stay right where you are," said the Geodude.

"Master, we've met a Charmander and a Buneary, your orders?" Asked Honedge.

The two guards stood there for a while before Honedge spoke.

"Our orders are to kill you on sight, prepare yourself," said Honedge.

"What!?" We asked in shock.

The two Pokémon attacked, but we beat them back easily, then some unseen power snapped the place you'd expect their necks to be, killing them.

"They're dead," said Fluffi, checking their vitals.

I slammed my fist on the ground, "There's two different players here just as cruel as the other."

"Two players?" Fluffi asked.

"Yes, these Pokémon were being controlled by something or someone, but I suspect that isn't the reason that contact was lost," I said, "the other Pokémon would've sent a distress call or quelled the problem if that were the case."

"So now what?" Asked Fluffi.

"We discover who the real culprit here is and put an end to their plans, and if we find Player #2, we stop them as well, but we have to stop the true villain here first."

"So, we must ignore this?"

"For now, after all, if you chase two Buneary-" I began, but Fluffi's glare stopped me, "-sorry. But, you get my point."

We decided to continue into the castle and found more hypnotized Pokémon and a lot of dead Pokémon. Eventually, the hypnotized Pokémon stopped appearing all together and we found ourselves in a large courtyard.

 _"Welcome to my little kingdom,"_ said a disembodied voice.

We stopped walking and looked around for the source of the voice.

 _"So you are the ones who locked up my partner and now invade my castle. You don't look like much. I guess I'll just have to kill you myself."_

A Pokémon materialized in front of us.

"I am Malamar, king of this forsaken land, and your executioner!"

"You are the one who's been controlling these Pokémon?" Asked Fluffi.

"All I did was give these poor, angry Pokémon some purpose," said Malamar.

"What!?" I asked.

"Now die!" Yelled Malamar, "Psybeam!"

"Shadow Ball!" Yelled Buneary.

The Shadow Ball intercepted the Psybeam attack that was aimed at me.

"Shadow Claw! I yelled as I slashed Malamar's left tentacle. However, I left myself open and took a Superpower to the kidney, sending me flying.

"Power-Up Punch!" Yelled Fluffi, punishing Malamar with a sharp blow to the gut.

"That wasn't pleasant," I said.

"Are you okay, Drake?" Asked Fluffi.

"I'll be fine," I said, "only problem is I can't get close enough to him to attack."

"I'll cover you!" Said Fluffi.

"You'll do no such thing," said Malamar, "Hypnosis!"

Malamar's eyes glowed for a moment and then Fluffi fell asleep.

"I dare say I like these odds better," said Malamar.

"You'll pay for that," I said, "Dragon Claw!"

My claws were then surrounded in a purple claw on each hand. The nails on each claw were about the length of my arm.

"Superpower!"

For about five minutes we were attempting to hit each other with our attacks and we were dodging each other's blows.

"Foul Play!" Yelled Malamar as he attacked after he had apparently ran out of PP for Superpower.

"Fire Fang!" Yelled as I tried to bite Malamar. Somehow, I had managed to keep Dragon Claw active while doing so.

Malamar had eventually wrapped me in his tentacles.

"Hahahaha!" Laughed Malamar, "Time for torture! Foul Play!"

I was trapped in Malamar's right tentacle and with the other one, he started whipping me. The only thing I could think of was to bite into him with Fire Fang.

"Graaagh!" Yelled Malamar in pain, "Why, you little-!"

Malamar tried to hit me again with his tentacles, but I managed to grab one on my mouth with Fire Fang, I then spun him around and threw him against the nearest wall.

"Dragon Claw!" I yelled as I sliced into his flesh, then I slammed him with an Iron Tail.

I waited to see if he would get up, which he shortly did. While Malamar got up, Fluffi rejoined the fight by hitting the unsuspecting Malamar with Return.

"I'll deal with you later, first, your girlfriend dies," said Malamar, "Hypnosis!"

Malamar's eyes glowed again and I felt my eyelids grow so heavy, I couldn't keep them open and I fell asleep. I had a dream; in that dream, I heard the same Pokémon that spoke to me before I turned into the first Pokémon meteor. The voice was too garbled to understand though, like some sort of static was interfering and then I awoke to find Fluffi shaking me awake again.

"I'm up!" I said jumping to my feet, "Malamar?"

"He's sleeping," said Fluffi pointing at Malamar's unconscious body.

"What do we do with him now?" I asked, "We can't let Heliolisk know where we are."

"Which direction is the town from here?" Asked Fluffi.

I got out the map and pointed in roughly the direction the town was.

"Charge Beam!" Yelled Fluffi.

Fluffi fired a Charge Beam at Malamar and he blasted off over the horizon toward the town.

"Malamar is a wanted outlaw, I seen him on the board," said Fluffi, "now, with any luck, he will land in the town, by the police station."

"Girl, you are crazy," I said.

We continued on to find the real culprit. Along the way, we found several Pokémon who were so lost in rage, that they were beyond hope, we avoided them, and we found very many dead Pokémon. Something was killing them off. We thought that was Malamar's work, now we weren't so sure. It seemed there were three villains in this crazy place. No wonder we lost contact. We eventually found ourselves in a large garden when we heard a series of loud noises.

"What was that!?" I asked as I jumped in spite of myself.

Fluffi stood there a moment listening to the sound.

"It sounds like a battle is going on above us," said Fluffi.

 _"Are we done with this little game?"_

We jumped at the voice. Whoever it was, it sounded female.

 _"*pant* *pant* Yeah, right!"_

That voice sounded male.

 _"Your strength will give out at any time and then, you'll be mine."_

 _"Not as long as I can still fight!"_

 _"Don't you worry, you'll be with your family soon enough."_

 _"YOU DID IT! YOU MONSTER!"_

 _"Yeah, I did. Oh, how they screamed!"_

 _"WHAT!?"_

 _"There you go. A soul is best at the height of emotion. Lash out at me! Despair! You're all alone! No one will help you now!"_

 _"I have to beat you..."_

 _"Despair! Your soul is as good as mine!"_

The battle sounds picked up then and a short while later, a lone Aron fell off the roof.

"An Aron!" Yelled Fluffi in surprise.

"Who are you?" Asked the Aron, clearly hurt, but taking a battle stance. This was the second voice they heard from above.

"Calm down, we are not your enemy," I said.

The Aron lowered its guard, but it was immediately up again when another Pokémon materialized before them.

"So this is where you fell, you troublesome Aron," said the Pokémon, clearly the first voice they heard.

"Curse my luck," said the Aron.

"Stop right there!" I said.

"I see you've found me some more victims, who are you?"

"Drake," I said.

"You may call me Froslass," said the Pokémon, "the stealer of your souls."

"What!?" Yelled Fluffi and I.

"You cowardly demon!" Yelled the Aron.

"Demon? That's rich," said Froslass, "well, prepare to lose your souls to this 'demon'!"

"Shadow Ball!" Yelled Froslass.

Froslass fired the attack at me, but Fluffi jumped in the way and got hit by the attack, but due to her being a Normal Type, she took no damage from it.

"Take a taste of your own medicine! Shadow Ball!" Yelled Fluffi, but Froslass easily dodged the attack.

"What was that? I thought you said something about making me taste my own medicine?"

"Shut up! Shadow Ba-"

"Shock Wave!" Yelled Froslass, interrupting Fluffi's attack and hitting all of us with unavoidable damage.

"I can fight too- Urghhh!" Moaned the Aron in pain.

"Let us handle this!" Said Fluffi, "Power-Up Punch!"

Fluffi obviously didn't realize Froslass was a Ghost Type, the attack simply went through her.

"Wha-?"

"Ice Punch!" Yelled Froslass, giving Fluffi a sharp blow to the back.

"Shadow Claw!" I yelled.

"Double Team!"

Froslass made several copies of herself and I sliced through a fake one.

"Are you really so scared of me that you have to resort to cowardly moves like this?" I asked.

"Scared? Far from it."

The Froslass copies surrounded me and began giving off static electricity. A Shock Wave was coming. I stood there a began studing the Froslasses. I found that all of them were completely in sync with each other, except for one.

"Gotcha! Iron Tail!"

Froslass stopped charging up Shock Wave and intercepted with Ice Punch, causing the fake Froslass to disappear.

"Nice trick, but your luck just ran out."

We clashed our attacks for a while and then the two of us started glowing as if we were resonating or something.

"What!?" Asked Froslass in surprise as fear seemed to flash across her face and she broke off her attack.

"Shadow Claw!" I yelled as I slashed into Froslass's torso and gave her a deep wound.

"You!" Yelled Froslass, "How could a Pokémon like yourself have the Etherlight!?"

"Etherlight? What are you talking about?" I asked.

The wound I gave Froslass was glowing and by the look on Froslass's face, it looked like it burned too.

"If I remain here much longer, all my power will be drained!" Spat Froslass.

"I have no choice but to flee," said Froslass, "but I shall return to kill you all later!"

Froslass disappeared and then Fluffi and the Aron approached me. I was still glowing by the way. Then, as they tried to make sense of what just happened, I lost consciousness and everything went black. Next thing I knew, I was back in the dark void I was in before meeting Fluffi. Soon afterward a bright white silhouette of a Pokémon appeared before me.

 _"You must wake up, there is still so much for you to do."_

Next thing I knew, I was a awake and laying on the ground in Platinum Palace with Fluffi trying to shake me awake. How many times have I awoken like this now?

"Thank heavens you're awake," said Fluffi.

"How long was I out?" I asked, sitting up.

"Not too long," said Fluffi.

"That glow is gone. What was it? The Etherlight..."

"I have no clue, I've never heard that term before. Once we're done here, the guild will want to know about this. Maybe they'll provide you with answers."

"Okay, then later."

"Did I hear right?" Asked the Aron, "are you two really from the guild?"

"Yeah, we've lost contact with this island, so against the guild's wishes, we came here to find out why," I said.

"I see...," said the Aron.

"Do you live around here?" Asked Fluffi, "What is your name?"

"I am Duran," said the Aron, "my village lies far to the east of here."

"I am Drake and this is Fluffi," I said.

"Nice to meet you," said Duran.

"What has happened here?" Asked Fluffi, "who was that Froslass and what's to become of the world?"

"Like I said, my village lies far to the east," said Duran, "the worst threat we've ever faced was the occasional enraged Pokémon. So angry that they couldn't be reasoned with."

"We ran into a few on the way here," said Fluffi.

"Yeah, usually the palace would round up any of them and throw them into the dungeons where they could be contained, but not anymore," said Duran.

"What happened?" I asked.

"That crazy chick happened," said Duran, "she shown up out of the blue and started slaughtering the people of this island and stole their souls. They won't wake up... I still remember the laugh as she killed my family and friends"

"You don't have to continue," said Fluffi.

"It gets worse," said Duran, "when she attacked the palace, she released all the enraged Pokémon in the dungeon and now they're rampant as well. Then, she found me, and you know the rest."

"So she was the culprit," I said.

"Except, this island isn't safe yet," said Duran, "these enraged Pokémon, they have a leader. They must, or they would've spread much slower than they are."

"An Accursed One," Fluffi and I muttered under our breath like a curse.

"What is an Accursed One?" Asked Duran.

"It's a long story," Fluffi said.

"Fine, explain it to me along the way," said Duran.

"Along the way?" Asked Fluffi.

"I'm going with you," said Duran, "I've got to make that crazy chick pay."

"We can't help with revenge," I said, "but we can help you leave this place after we've finished up here. Can you walk?"

"Yep," said Duran, "Fluffi gave me some Oran Berries while you were out, so I'm ready to go."

"Okay, not a moment to lose," I said.

We decided to head for the throne room as a starting point to look for the Accursed One. It turns out that Duran knew the castle quite well. He led us through a series of secret passages, to speed up the journey to the throne and to avoid guards. He told us that he used to play tricks on the guards using these passages all the time when he was little. Along the way, we spilled the beans about the Accursed Ones. Duran didn't seemed surprised by the news at all. It only seemed to confirm his suspicions. We entered the throne room and found it strangely empty, but as we approached the throne, the scenery changed and we were standing in what looked like some ruined Roman coliseum.

 _"Who dares disturb me?"_

A rather regal looking Pokémon appeared before us.

"I am Cobalion," said the Pokémon, "What business do you have here that you must intrude upon MY palace?"

"This is not the king of Platinum Palace," whispered Duran, "the king is an Aegislash."

"What is your real name?" I asked, "don't lie to us either, comrade of Feuervogel!"

"So that was you who destroyed her," said the Pokémon, "very well, I am Ippotis, an Accursed One, and your executioner. Come face me!"

I used Dragon Claw, Fluffi used Power-Up Punch and Duran used Take Down, all three attacks Ippotis let hit him, he didn't even bother dodging them. Even though they hit him, he didn't seem to be affected by our attacks.

"You call THIS power?" Asked Ippotis, "Poison Jab!"

Ippotis hit me with the attack, but luckily, I wasn't poisoned. We all attacked again, but like the first time, no profit came from it. We exchanged attacks with Ippotis for about five more rounds, but only ever hurt ourselves.

"Die this day!" Said Ippotis, "Flash Cannon!"

We dodged it, but really what was the point in doing so? We couldn't damage him!

"At this rate-," I said.

 _"Drake use the Etherlight! Use it to crush this Accursed One!"_

It was the voice from my dreams.

 _"Desire to use it and you shall."_

I decided to trust the voice for now. Hey, it was better than the alternative. I focused my mind on the desire to use the Etherlight and then immediately, my tail started to glow.

"What!? That light!" Said a surprised Ippotis

I used Iron Tail on Ippotis and, much to my surprise, he seemed to be hurt. More than that, I somehow broke his barrier.

"That power, the Etherlight!" Said Ippotis in pain, "You will pay for that!"

The glow faded.

"All together, Attack!" I yelled, "Fire Fang!"

"Power-Up Punch!" Yelled Fluffi.

"Metal Claw!" Yelled Duran.

All three attacks landed on Ippotis causing him to reel in pain.

"Idiotic fools! Sacred Sword!" Yelled Ippotis, who hit us all with his new energy sword that now materialized on his head. It didn't help that one of us was weak to Fighting type moves and another one was double weak. Fluffi was knocked on her butt, I cringed in pain and Duran was sent flying.

"Iron Defense!" Yelled Duran as he got up.

I powered up Dragon Claw and tried using it on Ippotis, but he blocked with Protect.

"I hate that stupid move!" I snarled in frustration.

"Flash Cannon!"

The attack was obviously aimed at Duran, but I jumped in the way and let it hit me.

"Iron Head!" Yelled Duran, aiming for Ippotis's blind spot.

"Charge Beam!" Yelled Fluffi.

"Protect!" Yelled Ippotis, blocking both attacks.

.

"You still cannot harm me!" Said Ippotis, "Sacred Sword!"

"I beg to differ," I said. I then called on the Etherlight again and used a combo of my four moves on Ippotis, causing him to pause in time as if he was stopped.

"Get down!" yelled Fluffi.

We all got down and Ippotis burst into many tiny metal shards. They ripped many lacerations into mine and Fluffi's flesh causing us to bleed all over. Duran seemed to be fine due to being made of metal. The Roman coliseum scene disappeared and we were back in the throne room. After everything settled down, Fluffi and I patched our wounds and we all ate some Oran Berries.

"Are you two all right?" Asked Duran.

"Yeah, just a few cuts, we should be asking you the same thing," said Fluffi.

"Just a little tired from being chased, I'll be fine," said Duran.

"That voice," I said.

"Huh?" Asked Duran.

"While we fought, did either of you hear a strange voice?" I asked.

"I didn't," said Duran.

"Me neither," said Fluffi.

"Strange, only a voice I could hear," I said, "she told me how exactly to use that 'Etherlight' thingy."

"What is that Etherlight though?" Duran asked.

"How am I supposed to know?" I asked.

"Drake has amnesia," Fluffi explained.

"Oh, sorry," said Duran.

"It's okay, I just wish I had some answers," I said.

 _"I might be able to provide them."_

We all jumped at that voice.

"Okay, you two heard that one, right?" I asked.

They both nodded their heads and as we looked around for the source, a ghostly apparition of a Pokémon appeared before us.

"Be not alarmed, I mean you no harm," said the apparition.

"You... are you the one who spoke to me in my dreams?" I asked.

"Yes," said the apparition, "my name is Cresselia."

"Cresselia?" Asked Duran.

"Yes, I am the reason that Drake's here with you two right now," said Cresselia's apparition.

"What is the meaning of all this?" Fluffi asked.

"Summoning an apparition here drains a lot of power from me, so I can't keep this up for long," said Cresselia's apparition, "So I'll give you the digest version. This world's in danger, teetering on the edge of obliteration and Drake has been chosen as the savior of the world."

"What's so dangerous?" I asked, "the Accursed Ones?"

"No," said the Cresselia apparition, "something far more powerful seeks to make its way to this world. The Accursed Ones are still a threat, of course, but your main goal is this new foe."

"Who is it?" Asked Fluffi.

"I don't know its name," said the Cresselia apparition.

"What do we do?" I asked.

"Chase after the Accursed Ones," said the Cresselia apparition, "they will reveal the way."

The Cresselia apparition started fading.

"This is all the time I have, good luck," said the Cresselia apparition, who then vanished.

"If what Cresselia said is true," I said, "there's no way I can do this alone. Will you help me hunt these Accursed Ones?"

"Do you really have to ask?" Asked Fluffi, "if the world's in danger, it's my problem as well."

"Great," I said.

"I'm going as well," said Duran.

"Duran?" I asked.

"I'd like to help out too," said Duran, "it's not like there's anything else here for me. Consider this my official application to join your team."

"I have no complaints," said Fluffi.

"Nor do I," I said, "welcome aboard."

We made our way back to where the Magnagate was and Fluffi set the device up that we borrowed from Furfrou and Ninetails, summoning another Magnagate. Duran had obviously never seen a Magnagate as we had to calm him down when we summoned it, and practically had to force him through it. We explained to Furfrou and Ninetails what had happened and they promptly started reading some books in a frenzy, saying that they had to do some emergency research, so we shown ourselves out. We returned to the guildmasters and explained everything that happened at Steadfast Island, I mean everything.

"This is grave news indeed," said Sceptile, "an entire population eradicated."

"Did I hear right?" Asked Gardevoir, "did you really meet Cresselia?"

"That's what she said her name was," I said, "do you know her?"

"Not personally," Gardevoir said, "Cresselia is the protector of good dreams and she has the power to chase away nightmares. It is said that she only comes out on the night of a crescent moon."

"We all know that Drake has amnesia," said Fluffi, "and she said he's been 'chosen'. So, did she cause him to lose his memory?"

"No, Cresselia only has power over dreams," said Gardevoir, "she cannot erase anyone's memory. Cresselia probably has an accomplice."

"Who?" I asked.

"I have no idea," said Gardevoir, "I haven't heard of any Pokémon with the ability to erase memories or to set you aside for a task. Oh, by the way, congrats on your entry into Team Dragoon, Duran."

"Thanks," said Duran, "but at what price?"

"Changing the subject before it takes a turn for the gloomy," I said, "do either of you know about a power called the Etherlight?"

"I have heard of it," said Sceptile, "it is a power that exists inside some Pokémon and it has many incarnations, so no one knows the full extent of its power. In most cases, it gives the Pokémon an unusual amount of strength, gives them a weird power, makes them partially immune to some ability or power or makes them somewhat immune to death."

"Do I really have this power?" I asked.

"Cresselia said you do and that's good enough for me," said Sceptile.

"Cresselia is not known for lying," said Gardevoir, "in fact I don't think she ever has."

"So, I guess our jobs will revolve around hunting these Accursed Ones until further notice," said Fluffi.

"Not quite, we still have to discuss your punishment," said Sceptile.

"Punishment?" I asked, "but why? We solved a mystery, revealed what is wrong with the world and saved Duran's life!"

"You still disobeyed a direct order to not go to Steadfast Island," said Sceptile, "so you must be punished for that."

"Even me?" Asked Duran.

"Not you," said Gardevoir, "you don't share any part in the offense."

"Pretty lady use big words," said Duran.

"Keep that up and you will be punished," said Gardevoir.

Duran shut up real quick.

"We have reserved a part of the old waterworks for occasions like this, we call it the 'Hydro Temple'," said Sceptile.

"Tomorrow, you two will enter the Hydro Temple and read the tablet contained within the deepest chamber," said Gardevoir.

"Hydro is another word for water...," Fluffi mumbled, "get ready for some major frustration, Drake. Tomorrow, we traverse the Water Temple."


	7. Chapter VII: Illusions in the Waterworks

Chapter VII: Illusions in the Waterworks

The three of us were exhausted so we went to bed early that night. Understandable, especially for our new member, Duran. Getting chased around for who knows how long by a crazy Froslass takes a lot out of you. I tell you, this is not how I imagined we'd get our first recruit. Apparently, using the Etherlight like I did yesterday took a lot out of me, so like Duran, I was out like a light.

Day broke and we assembled with the other apprentices. Everyone noticed that we had a new member added to our ranks, but before any introductions were made, Sceptile began the morning address.

"Attention, attention everyone!" said Sceptile.

Everyone looked at Sceptile.

"Now, before we begin, we've got a new apprentice to introduce to everyone," said Sceptile, "introduce yourself, tiger."

"First of all, don't call me that," said Duran stepping out to introduce himself, "I'm Duran, I hail from Steadfast Island."

A silence fell across the apprentices as he said those last few words and Duran walked back over to us and got back in place.

"Duran has joined Team Dragoon yesterday, so he will be undergoing training as an apprentice as well," said Gardevoir.

"Hold on," said Rand, "that was a big bombshell you just dropped. We've been dying to know what has happened at Steadfast Island and _someone_ who just so happens to be from there just shows up here and you don't ask him what went on?"

"Yeah, we want to know," said Sanderson.

"I admit, I'm curious too," said Elena.

"I'll tell the story if you want me to, Duran," I said.

"Sure, go ahead," said Duran.

I told the story of what went down at Steadfast Island, leaving no detail out. I told them how we defied a direct order out of concern for the island's Pokémon, and how we used the Magnagate. I then told them how we had fought Malamar and his hypnotized victims. Duran then helped me out by telling the part of the story with Froslass and how we saved him. I then finished the story with our battle against Ippotis and our meeting with Cresselia.

"Unbelievable," said Sally, "to think the danger was that grave."

"By the sound of it, it's not yet over," said Kevin.

"What of everyone else on the island?" Asked Victini.

"They're dead," said Duran, "I would be too if it weren't for Drake and Fluffi."

"So, these Accursed Ones, there are more of them?" Asked Sanderson.

"Yes, which brings us to the matter at hand," said Sceptile.

"The rest of you are to keep your ear out for any rumors about the locations of these Accursed Ones, and then Team Dragoon will hunt them down," said Gardevoir.

"Listen for rumors of a vast quantity of enraged Pokémon or an unexplained or otherwise unusual happening," said Sceptile.

"Pardon my ignorance," said Rand, "but why don't the rest of us hunt these Accursed Ones too?"

"If Cresselia is to believed," said Fluffi, "we need the Etherlight to even hurt them, and as far as I know, only Drake possesses that power."

"Oh right," said Rose, "you said the rest of us will be looking for rumors. What will Team Dragoon be doing?"

"Team Dragoon may have saved Duran's life but they still disobeyed a direct order," said Sceptile, "so, as punishment, they'll be going into the Hydro Temple."

"Are you sure that's not a little too harsh?" Asked Sapphire.

"They could've died on that island," said Gardevoir, "so, given the offense, the punishment could be much, much worse."

"Even Duran must be punished?" Asked Sanderson.

"No, he won't be," said Gardevoir, "only Drake and Fluffi. Duran will remain here at the guild today."

"Say 'cheese!'" Said Victini as she snapped a picture of Fluffi and I.

"What was that for?" I asked.

"For the wall, should you fail," said Victini.

"Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence," I said sarcastically.

"You're welcome," said Victini.

About half an hour later, we found ourselves at the entrance to the Hydro Temple. It looked like a derelict, post-industrial building. We walked inside and got a big nose-full of really memorable smells.

"Oh, wow, that's rank," said Fluffi, holding her nose.

"Nothing like a water treatment plant to get those unforgettable smells," I said, also holding my nose.

We dug in our bag and made some makeshift nose-plugs from random junk we found in our travels, which we promptly put to use. The plugs helped a lot, but didn't block all the smell. At least we didn't need to hold our noses anymore.

"If we had to resort to these measures, I'd hate to see what the Pokémon living here had to do to get rid of the smell," I said.

"No Pokémon live here," said Fluffi, "this place is owned by the guild. Plus, could you ever imagine living here?"

"I guess not," I said, "wait, if the guild owns this, do they control the town's water too?"

"No, this entire place has been removed from the rest of the system when they built the waterworks that are used today. So any changes we have to make to the water flow to get through won't affect the town's water at all."

"Well, let's get this done ASAP before we smell just like this place."

As we went through the Hydro Temple we had to divert 15 waterfalls, open up or close 84 flood control gates, reverse the water's flow 23 times, had to turn 34 valves, got lost 62 times, I blew up 28 useless pipes out of pure frustration and, and-

"Gah! I can't stand this!" I groaned.

"Control yourself!" Said Fluffi, "we can't have you blowing up a pipe we need."

"We're lost again, that's 63 times," I said, making the necessary correction to the list I was carrying.

"Are you honestly keeping track of all this?" Fluffi asked.

"Yes, so I know exactly what to say when I yell at Sceptile for all this later."

"What makes you think we're lost anyway?"

"I've seen that same broken pipe over there 51 times already!" I said, pointing at the pipe.

"That's not the same pipe," said Fluffi.

"Yes I am," said the pipe.

We both looked at the pipe that just spoke.

"Fluffi, Charge Beam."

Fluffi fired a Charge Beam at the pipe, which then jumped in front of us, on the pipe we were walking on, as its illusion faded. The pipe was really a black fox Pokémon.

"Watch where you're aiming that thing!" Yelled the fox, "You nearly hit me with that!"

"I thought you said no one lived here?" I asked.

"No one does," said Fluffi.

"All homicidal instincts aside," said the fox, "I am Zoroark, I caused you to get lost in here."

"Um, how and why?" I asked.

"I have the power to manipulate the environment using illusions, you're actually not far from the end, but I kept causing you to walk in circles," said Zoroark.

"You fiend!" Yelled Fluffi.

"Okay, why?" I asked.

"All to wear you down until I can kill you and have my revenge, you arrested my comrades!"

"If they were outlaws, they deserved it!" I said.

"I planned to wait a little longer, but I have no choice now. Prepare to die!"

"Shadow Claw!" Yelled Zoroark and I as our blows clashed.

"Power-Up Punch!" Yelled Fluffi, hitting Zoroark square in the jaw, causing him to bleed out of one side of his mouth.

"Iron Tail!" I yelled as I hit Zoroark with the attack.

Zoroark then grabbed my tail and slammed me to the ground.

"Hone Claws!" Yelled Zoroark as he pinned me to the ground with his foot and increased his Attack.

Zoroark then wiped the blood from his mouth, gave an evil grin and then started digging into my flesh with Night Slash.

"Iron Tail!" I yelled as I slammed my tail into his ankle, getting him to let me go.

"Fire Fang!" I yelled and then bit into his leg.

"Why you little-!"

"Charge Beam!"

Though he tried, Zoroark was unable to dodge to his injured leg.

"Night Daze!" Yelled Zoroark, blasting Fluffi with it

I finally managed to get to my feet

"Dragon Claw!" I yelled as I dug into Zoroark's back.

Zoroark then turned around and started trying to hit me with a flurry of Shadow Claw attacks while I dodged them.

"Bounce!" Yelled Fluffi, launching herself into the air and plowing into Zoroark with bone-crushing force.

Needless to say, Zoroark got KO'd. Zoroark's illusion then faded and we found ourselves... back at the entrance.

"Oh, come on!" I yelled out of frustration.

"This guy is a real monster," said Fluffi.

We decided to gag and tie up Zoroark and then we kicked him out of the building and then continued through the Hydro Temple. It was about half an hour before we finally found the tablet that Sceptile and Gardevoir spoke of.

"Finally, the tablet," said Fluffi.

"Next time I see those two, they are going to wish they never sent us here!" I yelled.

"Drake, calm down," said Fluffi, "I'll read the tablet."

Fluffi walked over to the tablet and read: "Mind your own Combeeswax. Your lucky numbers are 3, 12, 34, 57, 68, and 75."

"Great, we come all this way for a lame fortune from a fortune cookie," I said.

"Let's just deliver Zoroark to the police station and get out of here," said Fluffi, "then, we can take these nose plugs out."

"Agreed."

We then left the Hydro Temple. Apparently there was a door right near the entrance we didn't see. Something else to yell at them for. We then took our nose plugs out and dropped off Zoroark at Officer Heliolisk's station. We then took a bath in a secluded stream to get some of the Hydro Temple's stink off of us. We then reported our success to the Guildmasters by telling them what was inscribed on the tablet.

"Okay, that sounds right," said Sceptile, "you passed."

"You really did?" Asked Duran.

"Yes, we did," I said, "by the way, guildmasters..."

"I think he's going to blow," said Fluffi as she and Duran walked away.

"SCEPTILE AND GARDEVOIR YOU NO GOOD MOTHERF-!"


	8. Chapter VIII: Dragons in the Forest Ruin

Chapter VIII: Dragons in the Forest Ruins

"-AND THEN I'LL TAKE THAT PINAP BERRY AND SHOVE IT SO FAR UP WHERE THE SUN WON'T SHINE THAT YOU'LL BE PUKING UP PINAP CHUNKS FOR 3 FULL YEARS!"

"Are you finished?" Asked Gardevoir.

"Yeah, I feel a lot better now," I said.

"Good," said Gardevoir, who then smacked me painfully across the face.

"Ow! Okay, I guess I deserved that," I said, "I'm going through the Hydro Temple again, aren't I?"

"No. I think you learned your lesson," said Gardevoir.

"Yeah. Don't defy your orders and don't blow up in your face," I said, "I hope my cheek doesn't stay red forever."

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it's always red," said Sceptile.

Just then, Duran and Fluffi returned.

"Are you done blowing your stack, or should we sign you up for anger management classes?" Asked Duran.

"Gardevoir calmed me down," I said.

"About time, we could hear you from all the way over at Kecleon's store," Fluffi said.

"I thought he'd never shut up," said Duran.

"Nothing a good slap won't fix," said Gardevoir.

After a moment of silence Duran and Fluffi started laughing hysterically; at me.

"Dude, you got Mrs. Goody-Two-Shoes to slap you?" Laughed Duran, "what did you do, kick a Lillipup?"

Gardevoir shot him a death stare and Fluffi stopped laughing.

"Oh, look at that face," laughed Duran, "what are you going to do, hug me to death?"

Gardevoir used her psychic power to throw Duran painfully against a nearby wall.

"Ow! Okay, okay, okay, I'll shut up now!" panicked Duran.

"Let's take this conversation away from Gardevoir for the moment," said Sceptile, pushing us out the door and closing it behind him.

"Trust me, you cannot talk to her when she gets like this," said Sceptile.

"Nice going, Duran," I said, "do you want to poke an Ursaring while you're at it?"

"Hey now, I learned my lesson, "said Duran.

"You're kidding, they succeeded?" Asked Victini, who was just walking by.

"Yes, they did," said Sceptile.

Victini tore apart the picture she took earlier.

"Well, there goes my entertainment," Victini grumbled. She then noticed that everyone was watching her.

"I mean, congratulations everyone," said Victini before running off to who knows where.

"So much for supporting each other," said Fluffi.

It was already dinner time after we had finished talking, so we ate and then we went to bed. Starting the next day and continuing for a full week, our team followed up on rumors that the other apprentices heard. However, they were all false alarms or someone in the area had just made up a story. The only lead that lead to something substantial happened on day 8.

"Anyone that has heard anything about the locations of the Accursed Ones, step forward," said Gardevoir.

"I heard something, probably nothing, but still...," began Sapphire.

"Anything could help," said Fluffi.

"Well, on the other side of the continent, there is an overgrown ruin called the Forgotten City," said Sapphire.

"Yeah, that's common knowledge," said Rand, "it hasn't been fully explored and there are some areas that no one has ever been able to get into yet."

"And no one knows how old it is," said Rose.

"Yeah, well the only Pokémon that live there are Grass and Bug types, well normally anyway," said Sapphire.

"Normally?" Asked Kevin.

"Well, now there are reports that a bunch of Dragon types are living there now, and get this, there are more Dragon types there now than both Grass and Bug types combined," said Sapphire.

"Even if it isn't an Accursed One," said Duran, "we still need to get to the bottom of this."

"Agreed," I said, "so we know where we're going today."

"Good, today, Team Dragoon will be exploring the Forgotten City and the rest of you are to continue searching for rumors," said Sceptile, "dismissed."

We stocked up on items and went to go visit Furfrou and Ninetails. We entered the cottage and found the two of them reading some books.

"What if we enhance the Entercard's teleportation matrix by the machine's inherent energy bypass?" Asked Furfrou.

"Are you crazy?" Asked Ninetails, "that would create a unstable power coupling resulting in a auxiliary paradigm shift of the-"

"Tell them to stop talking weird, my brain hurts," said Duran holding his head.

"Hey, we have carbon based visitations at our doorstep," said Furfrou.

"Head... throbbing..." said Duran, still holding his head.

"Don't mind him," said Ninetails, "we've got serious research to do right now, so we can't talk."

"It's all right," said Fluffi, "we just need to use the Magnagate."

"I'll take care of it, Ninetails, you continue the research," said Furfrou.

"Okay," said Ninetails.

"What are you researching?" I asked as Furfrou led us to the machine that they study Magnagates with.

"I'd tell you, but it looks like Duran might explode if I do," said Furfrou.

We eventually arrived at the machine.

"Where to?" Asked Furfrou.

"Forgotten City," said Fluffi.

"Ninetails and I have been there before, quite the mystery there," said Furfrou as he set the Entercards in place and handed us the machine that Fluffi used before to spawn the return Magnagate at Steadfast Island.

The Magnagate was summoned and we were teleported away to the Forgotten City. We appeared at the edge of a forest with a ruined and overgrown archway to our east.

"Looks like we are right outside the ruins," I said, checking the map.

"Watch this be another false alarm," said Fluffi.

"Yeah, probably nothing but bugs and cannibals that think that Bunearys are a delicacy," said Duran, "lucky we don't have any of those with us."

Fluffi's eyes got wide.

"They'll rip the flesh from those Bunearys' faces, chew up their muscles and use their bones as dec-," began Duran.

Fluffi was getting ready to panic.

"Duran, stop picking on Fluffi," I said.

"Fine. You're just no fun," said Duran.

"And if you start that up again," said Fluffi, "I'll see how much iron we'd get if we melted you down."

"Not if some Spinarak start crawling all over you when you're sleeping tonight," said Duran.

"Stop this, both of you, or I _won't_ help if we run across an Accursed One here," I said.

Duran and Fluffi stopped picking on each other.

"Ahhh, it's good to be the king," I said.

We entered the ruins and found them abandoned. Well, this was odd. We were told that this place was overrun by Dragon types, not abandoned. We eventually arrived at a closed door with no doorknob and so covered with plants that you couldn't open it from the inside. Duran and Fluffi stayed behind while I investigated the door.

"It is obviously overgrown, but the door is very old, so the correct application of force could cause it to crumble," I said.

"How about trying to ram it?" Asked Duran, "come on, use some muscle."

"Huh, me?" I asked.

"Go, Drake!" Cheered Fluffi.

I rammed the door a few times, but I only succeeded in hurting myself, so I soon gave it up.

"I guess that way's no good after all," said Duran.

"Hey, why aren't you two helping?" I asked.

"Get back to work, slave!" Said Fluffi.

I looked around in desperation and found a nearby tree branch that looked like it could support a Snorlax walking on it. After all, we were pretty high up in the ruins by now.

"Look over there," I said, pointing at the branch.

"Good eye," said Duran.

"Fine, you got off easy for once," said Fluffi.

We walked on the branch and eventually found ourselves on the tree above us. I don't know how that happened, but it did. We found out that we weren't the only Pokémon up here, there were four other Pokémon up here and they were doing something strange with a Chesto Berry.

"Who are you four?" Asked Duran.

The four Pokémon looked over at us and then stood in front of us, posing. Fluffi and I recognized them instantly.

"Prepare for trouble, that's who we are."

"And make it double, we are blasted from afar."

"To protect the world from devastation."

"To unite all peoples within our nation."

"To denounce the evils of truth and love."

"To extend our reach to the stars above."

"Jesse."

"James."

"Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light."

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight."

"Meowth, that's right!"

"Wobbuffet!"

"Who are these freaks?" Asked Duran.

"Team Lame-brain," I said, "they're stalking us."

"We are not!" Yelled Meowth, "this is where we landed after you made us blast off!"

"Now we're lost," said James, "we haven't the foggiest idea where we are."

"The Forgotten City," said Fluffi.

"Oh, here it is!" Said James, pointing at the map, "we can get back to civilization now, thanks!"

"Wobbuffet!"

James, Meowth and Wobbuffet started to leave before Jesse stopped them.

"Wait, I'm still kind of cheesed about how these twerps made us blast off to begin with," said Jesse, "payback time."

"You lost to us last time and back then we didn't have Duran with us," I said, "what makes you think you'll win this time?"

"We have been training," said Meowth, "and we even kicked blobby into shape."

"Wobbuffet!"

"I still think this is a bad idea, guys," said James.

"Too bad, you are going to help us!" Said Jesse.

"Attack!" Yelled Meowth.

Meowth used Scratch on Duran, but his iron body caused it to do no damage.

"Uhhhhh, not the face?" Asked a nervous Meowth.

"No promises," said Duran, who used Water Pulse and then Shock Wave on Meowth.

"Flame Charge!" Yelled Jessie as she ran towards Fluffi, but I jumped in the way.

"Get out of the way!" Yelled Jessie, who kept running.

I then used Shadow Claw, cloaking my claws in darkness.

"Oh crap!" Said Jessie, unable to stop herself now.

"I stood my ground and attacked Jessie with the Shadow Claw, causing her to go down in one blow."

"Bite!" Yelled James.

"Power-Up Punch!" Yelled Fluffi delivering him a bone-crunching blow right to the throat

"Rock Tomb!" Yelled Duran, aiming at Meowth, however, Wobbuffet stepped in front of it and used Counter, launching it back at him.

"Flamethrower!" I yelled, barbequing Wobbuffet.

"Charge Beam!" Yelled Fluffi making them blast off once again.

"I think that Charmander cut my fur," said Jesse.

"My mouth hurts," said James.

"Maybe then you'll be quiet," said Meowth.

"Wobbuffet!"

"Looks like we're blasting off again!"

*Twinkle*

When Fluffi had finished the attack, she lost her balance and started to fall off the branch. Duran grabbed her and then he started to fall. I grabbed Duran, but I was too weak to pull them both up by myself, so we all ended falling off the branch and we landed on another branch far below the sealed door that I tried to break open.

"Oopsie! My bad," said Fluffi.

"Fluffi, you klutz!" Said Duran.

"Well, Drake should've held on better," said Fluffi.

"Hey! Don't blame this on me!" I said, "let's just focus on getting back to solid ground."

 _"Hello down there!"_

"Am I hearing voices again?" I asked.

"Yes," said Fluffi, "but I heard that one."

"Me too," said Duran.

We looked around for the voice.

 _"Up here!"_

We looked up and seen a Snivy looking at us from a hole in the floor of the ruins above.

"Excuse me, are you three okay?" Asked the Snivy.

"We're all fine, help us up!" I said.

"I can do that, but I can only bring one of you up at a time," said the Snivy.

"Anything helps," said Duran, "just hurry!"

"Okay, please stand by," said the Snivy, who then sent her vines toward us.

"Uh oh," said the Snivy, who then fell down too.

Next thing I knew was I was on my back and all I could see was pale green.

"Oops, it looks like I fell too," said the Snivy, "that was really my biggest blunder ever."

"Mmmmmmph mrrgh!" I said.

"Aren't there supposed to be three of you?" Asked the Snivy, "Where did that Charmander go?"

"Ummm...," said Duran.

"Mmmmmmph mrrgh!" I said again.

"Where is that sound coming from?" Asked the Snivy.

"Ummm, underneath you...," said Fluffi.

"What?" Asked the Snivy, who then looked down and quickly got off of me.

"Oh, sorry about that!" Apologized the Snivy.

I caught my breath for a moment then I said the first thing that came to my mind: "Don't worry, you're soft."

"Oh, my, really?" Asked a blushing Snivy.

"Drake, you're a pervert," said Duran.

"I'm going to agree this time," said Fluffi.

"I didn't mean it like that!" I said defensively.

"There's no talking your way out of this one, Drake," said Duran.

"What it take to get you off my back about this?" I asked.

Just then, we heard a loud cracking sound.

"What was that?" I asked.

"Um, it's coming from the branch," said Fluffi.

"Not again," I said.

We fell to the ground and found ourselves outside the archway we started at.

"Oh, come on, really?" Asked a frustrated Duran.

"You should've been with us for the Hydro Temple," I said.

"Looks like I messed up again," said the Snivy.

"Who are you anyway?" Asked Fluffi.

"Who? Me?" Asked the Snivy.

"No him," said Fluffi, pointing at Duran, "of course you!"

"I am Ivy," said the Snivy, "I am something of an amateur apothecary and travelling chef. I am out here looking for herbs and berries that only grow here."

"I am Drake," I said, "and this is Fluffi and that's Duran."

"Are you sightseeing?" Asked Ivy.

"Sadly, no," said Fluffi, "we are looking for the Accursed Ones."

"Akurst?" Asked a confused Ivy, "is that some sort of shrub or fern?"

"No," said Fluffi, "they are strong beasts that accelerate the rate that enraged Pokémon develop."

"I didn't quite believe it at first either," said Duran.

"That does sound serious," said Ivy.

"You mean you actually-?" Began Duran.

"That could explain why there are so many enraged Dragon types here recently," said Ivy.

"Oh well, I give up," said Duran.

"Now I'm worried," said Ivy, "there is a super-rare berry that grows on the top of these ruins and if it is as dangerous as you say, it may not be around for much longer. I have to make sure it's safe."

"Come with us," I said, "we need to look for this Accursed one anyway."

"Okay, I will," said Ivy.

As we were walking Fluffi started talking to Duran.

"Shock Wave, Water Pulse, where did you learn how to do those moves?" Asked Fluffi.

"I dipped into the team's funds to learn them from a move tutor," said Duran.

"Please don't do that again," said Fluffi.

"I promise nothing," said Duran.

We eventually arrived at the door I tried ramming down earlier.

"We're back at the door," said Duran, "the one that Drake tried to break open."

"Oh, that was you, Drake?" Asked Ivy.

"Not my idea, but yes," I said.

"I was worried it was one of those Dragon types trying to get out," said Ivy.

"Huh? Get out?" Asked Fluffi.

"Yes, I was the one who placed the plants here to make the door unopenable," said Ivy, "after I lured all the Dragon types inside."

"Wow, I'm impressed," I said.

"Thanks," said Ivy, "as this is the only way up, I'll remove those plants for you."

Ivy started glowing and then all the plants moved out of the way. She then walked over to the door and pushed it open.

"Good, no hostiles were waiting for that," said Ivy, who then turned toward us, "what's wrong? Let's hurry."

We all entered through the door and started our journey through the Forgotten City. It was quite confusing. A path that was crumbling due to time's passage, a few hidden passages, collapsed hallways, disagreeable plants and a horde of Dragon types to get through. Finally we made it to the top of the ruins and found more tree branches that we had to traverse to get on top of a nearby plateau. As we walked on the plateau, we found a stone bridge that connected this plateau to another, higher, one in the distance. the bridge connected to a path that spiraled upward on the other plateau. We walked on the bridge, as that was the only route available until we found our route blocked by, you guessed it, enraged Dragon type Pokémon. We found ourselves beset by two Gabites, a Shelgon and a Druddigon. As soon as they seen us, they attacked.

A Gabite ran at me and used Dragon Claw, but I blocked it with my own Dragon Claw. The second Gabite then used Earthquake, not directed at us, but at the bridge. Needless to say, the bridge took a lot of damage from the attack.

"They're trying to destroy the bridge along with us!" Yelled Ivy, "the bridge can't stand much more of this!"

"We, can't survive a fall from this height!" Yelled Duran.

"Team, take out the Gabites first!" I yelled, "they are priority one!"

"On it!" Yelled Fluffi as she attacked the closest Gabite with Power-Up Punch and then Shadow Ball.

I used the cover that the smoke from Shadow Ball made and attacked that same Gabite with a double Dragon Claw attack.

"Leaf Blade!" Yelled Ivy, as I jumped out the way.

The attack hit that Gabite square on the head KOing it.

"Dragon Claw!" Yelled the Druddigon, attacking Ivy and causing deep gashes to form on her torso.

Duran then used Rock Tomb on Druddigon to get him away from Ivy, clearly not even trying to hit it.

"Are you okay?" asked Duran.

"I will be after this," said Ivy, "watch out!"

The warning came too late as Duran was plowed by Shelgon's Zen Headbutt.

"Earthquake!" Yelled the remaining Gabite, damaging the bridge further. The bridge looked like it could only take one more of those attacks.

In response to that, Fluffi and I used a Power-Up Punch and Dragon Claw combo on Gabite.

"Mega Drain!" Yelled Ivy, KOing the last Gabite and restoring her own health.

"Shadow Claw!" Yelled Druddigon, attacking Duran and causing significant damage.

Duran was in trouble and he knew it, so he used a Shock Wave to create the distraction he needed to escape.

"Dragon Bre-!" Began Shelgon, but Fluffi stopped him by blasting him with a Charge Beam.

"Dragon Claw!" I yelled, attacking Shelgon and KO'd it.

Then, just to be safe Ivy used Mega Drain on Druddigon.

"Crunch!" Yelled Druddigon, who then bit into me.

Fluffi got me out of it with a well-aimed Power-Up Punch, while Duran dug into our bag and ate an Oran Berry.

"Ow! Why did that hurt?" Asked Fluffi, holding her ear in pain.

"It's Druddigon's Rough Skin ability," said Duran, "it hurts any Pokémon that attacks Druddigon physically."

"So, no physical attacks," I said and then used Flamethrower on Druddigon and then Ivy used Leaf Tornado on Druddigon.

"Turn into dust!" Yelled Druddigon, "Hyper Beam!"

We all tried to avoid the attack in one way or another, but the attack was too large to avoid on that narrow bridge so we were all hit. Duran was the only one to stand up afterward due to the attack being double ineffective on him.

"Water Pulse!" Yelled Duran, covering Druddigon in water.

"Shock Wave!" Yelled Duran, who managed to KO Druddigon, due to the water on him powering the attack up.

After the battle, we pushed the KO'd enemies to solid ground, since it wasn't safe to leave them on the recently weakened bridge. Druddigon was the hardest to push due to him weighing more than 300 pounds. We then ate a few Oran Berries and drank a few Max Elixirs and made our way up the plateau. We eventually made it to the top and we heard a loud roar and before we knew it, a large Wyrm had landed in front of us.

"My word, that's Rayquaza, the lord of the skies!" Said Ivy, who then bowed on the ground, "forgive us for intruding upon your hallowed ground."

"Get up you fool," said Fluffi, "that is not Rayquaza."

"It isn't?" Asked Ivy.

"No, that's an Accursed One!" Said Duran.

"And what gives you that idea?" Asked Rayquaza.

I glowed as I used the Etherlight, much to Ivy's surprise, and an invisible barrier around Rayquaza shattered.

"So, Feuervogel and Ippotis's destructions were your doing," said Rayquaza, "then it's time to drop this façade. I am not Rayquaza, I am Drachen, eater of Pokémon and I am hungry!"

Drachen surprised me by hitting me with Air Slash.

"Slam!" Yelled Ivy, but he was too fast for her to hit.

I used Flamethrower, but Drachen blocked it with his own Flamethrower. Drachen's Flamethrower quickly overpowered mine and I was hit by the attack. Duran and Fluffi attacked Drachen at the same time with Shock Wave and Shadow Ball with only the former attack hitting him.

"He's too fast," said Ivy.

"The only way we're going to be able to beat him is by combining our attacks," I said, "follow my lea-."

"Dragon Tail!" Yelled Drachen, slamming Ivy with his tail and almost made her fall off the plateau.

Duran used Water Pulse to create a giant bubble which I jumped on and Fluffi jumped inside, she then used Charge Beam to give us a rocket boost toward Drachen. The attack hit him, then I jumped off and hit Drachen with Dragon Claw.

"Gyro Ball!" Yelled Drachen, obviously enraged by the fact that we actually hit him.

Duran, Fluffi and I then launched a combined Water Pulse, Charge Beam and Flamethrower attack.

"Slam!" Yelled Ivy, KOing Drachen.

Before Ivy could react, I grabbed her arm and we all ran into the cave below and hid there.

"Drake! What's the big deal?" Asked Ivy.

Then we heard an explosion overhead and a few dark purple flames made their way into the cave.

"Thanks for that," said Ivy.

"Don't mention it," I said.

"The berries!" Ivy yelled before running back out of the cave and back onto the plateau.

We followed Ivy back on the plateau and put out what few smoldering, purple embers remained.

"Good, the berries are still unharmed," said Ivy, using her vines to pick a few berries, then she rejoined us.

"Those look delicious, can I have some?" Asked Fluffi.

"You could, but it would be very foolish," said Ivy, "these berries are extremely toxic to Pokémon and one small nibble from even a Steel type could prove fatal."

"Glad she stopped you, aren't you?" I asked Fluffi.

"Yeah, woo, Sceptile wouldn't be too happy about that," said Fluffi.

"Why do you need those berries if they're so dangerous?" Asked Duran.

"Properly distilled, these berries can be used to make an extremely powerful cure-all, guaranteed to cure any known life-threatening ailment," said Ivy.

"You could sell the remedy to hospitals and clinics," said Fluffi.

"That would be a very poor idea," said Ivy, "even an expert apothecary cannot guarantee success, and even when it seems successful, the remedy might kill the Pokémon instead of healing them. It all relies on how lucky you are. Clinics and hospitals would abuse this medicine, it should only be used on Pokémon who are on their death bed and have no other alternative."

"Well then, what do you plan to do with the berries?" Asked Duran.

"I will make this elixir," said Ivy, "and then keep it on my person just in case that situation ever happens to us."

"Us?" I asked.

"Yep, I'm going with you and joining your team," said Ivy, "don't even bother refusing, I'm joining anyway."

After forcing her way into our team, we traveled with Ivy back the way we came and made our way back to where we emerged from the Magnagate earlier. We summoned another Magnagate and re-emerged inside Furfrou and Ninetails' cottage. They seen us, but they were too busy doing something else to notice us, so we wrote a note saying that we had returned and then we traveled back to the guild and made our report to the Guildmasters. We then retired early that night and went right to bed.


	9. Chapter IX: Sunken City Blues

Chapter IX: Sunken City Blues

Day broke and the guildmasters were a little late to start the morning address, so we took the liberty of introducing Ivy to the guild members present. Sanderson had come down with an illness on his job yesterday, so he wasn't there. Banzai actually tried hitting on her, but after the swift butt-kicking, he gave it up. Then, the morning address was made and we went back to our usual task of investigating even more false rumors dug up by the other apprentices. Then, along came day 4.

"Then I shoved my bone into his-," began Kevin.

"Whoa now! I'm going to stop this story before it gets dirty," said Ivy.

"You asked me how I spent my weekend," said Kevin.

"I didn't expect an adult story," said Ivy.

"I was referring to Bone Rush, not- get your mind out of the gutter!" Said Kevin.

"Ivy, I should've warned you," I said, "do not ask him anything."

"Lesson learned," said Ivy.

"Attention please," said Gardevoir.

Everyone stopped talking.

"Now we come to the part where anyone who has heard any rumors regarding the Accursed Ones will share them with us," said Sceptile.

"Well, I doubt it has anything to do with the Accursed Ones, but...," began Rand.

"What is it?" Asked Fluffi.

"Ever hear of Aquarhont?" Asked Rand.

None of the apprentices said anything and then Gardevoir spake up.

"I have," said Gardevoir, "It was a thriving city far to the southwest beside the Clear Sea."

"It was?" Asked Sanderson, "What happened?"

"It sank to the bottom of the sea," said Gardevoir.

"Do you know what might have caused that?" Asked Rose.

"Just who do you take me for?" Asked Gardevoir, "I am the guild's assistant Guildmaster and the lorekeeper here. Not to mention that my psychic powers allow me to see both past and future events."

"Sorry," said Rose.

"Well, what happened?" Asked Elena.

"The inhabitants of the city angered a Pokémon whose powers they barely understood," said Gardevoir, "no one knows who the Pokémon was or what they did to upset it so, but the city still sits at the bottom of the Clear Sea."

"Any survivors?" Asked Victini.

"No," said Gardevoir.

"Well, it's a sunken city," said Duran, "what is happening to it now?"

"The city is starting to sink," said Rand.

"Aquarhont has been sunken for thousands of years," said Gardevoir, "and you're telling us it's sinking more?"

"Yes," said Rand, "there are several buildings and towers that are still above water, but now, according to the rumors, those are sinking now too."

"It's been at the bottom for ages, how could it sink more?" I asked.

"There are several factors that could contribute," said Kevin, "softer soil, weaker foundations or a giant-"

"I didn't ask for a geology lesson," I said.

"Well, back to the rumors," said Ivy, "does anyone have any more promising leads."

When no one said anything else, Fluffi replied, "I guess we're stuck with the sunken city today."

"Great," I said, "I don't do so well against water types, which the ruins are probably overflowing with."

"I'm in the same boat as you," said Duran.

"Well, then, I'll have to take the lead on this excursion," said Ivy.

We stocked up on items in town and got Duran and Ivy better moves and then left for Furfrou and Ninetails's cottage. As we entered the cottage, we were abducted by Furfrou and Ninetails and were led to the Entercard machine.

"We had a feeling you might be showing up," said Furfrou, "We just had a breakthrough in our research."

"What are you researching?" Asked Ivy.

"Keep it short and use layman's terms," said Duran, "we have enough troubles already without my head exploding."

I thought of what it would look like if Duran's head actually did explode and the picture I got made me laugh.

"Hey! What are you laughing at?" Asked Duran.

"Oh, nothing at all," I said, still smirking.

"All silliness aside," said Ninetails, "when you three slain Ippotis, we decided to watch for any unusual energies across the world, but when you slain the Accursed One at the Forgotten City, we noticed something unusual."

"It released a gigantic cloud of dark energy and then the energy started moving," said Furfrou.

"Moving?" Asked Fluffi.

"Yeah, at around 1,500 miles per hour," said Ninetails, "or about the flight speed of a Dragonite."

"The dark energy traveled to a series of islands to the extreme northwest of here," said Furfrou, "and then, get this, it disappeared. Just like that."

"It disappeared?" Asked Duran.

"Yeah," said Ninetails, "unfortunately we don't know which of the islands it disappeared over."

"So we need your help," said Furfrou, "If you defeat just two more accursed ones, we will be able to triangulate the exact island the energy is going to. This could point us to finding out exactly who or what created the Accursed Ones, meaning you could stop this once and for all."

"Seems a little too good to be true," said Ivy.

"Not exactly," I said, "remember what Cresselia said 'Something far more powerful seeks to make its way to this world. The Accursed Ones are still a threat, of course, but your main goal is this new foe. Chase after the Accursed Ones, they will reveal the way.' Perhaps this is what she meant."

"Even for a legend, you've got to admit, that is one heck of a foresight," said Duran.

"Writer's convenience plot device it seems," I said.

"Huh? Plot device?" Asked Fluffi.

Long story short, we eventually used the Entercards to forge a new Magnagate to the sunken city of Aquarhont, well, not exactly inside the city, but on the shores of the sea that was the home of the once great city.

"I can see why it's called the Clear Sea," said Fluffi, "the waters here are so clear I can see the bottom. It's like the whole sea is made of glass."

"That must be the city over there," I said, pointing at some distant rooftops in the midst of the sea, "or well, what's left of it."

"How do we get over there?" Asked Ivy, "I don't think any of us can swim that far."

"Guys! I found some stairs and a cave!" Shouted Duran from far to our right.

We walked over to where Duran was and found a hole in the ground and some stairs leading down into it.

"I don't think we should go down there," I said, "the cave was probably flooded along with the city."

"No worries," said Fluffi, "in Mystery Dungeons, we never run out of oxygen and we can breathe underwater."

"We can do that?" I asked in surprise.

"For some reason," said Duran.

"Do the laws of physics just not apply in these places?" I asked.

"Well, some Mystery Dungeons have you walking on clouds," said Ivy.

"Mystery Dungeons: 2, Laws of Physics: 0," I said, "next, we'll be floating in space or something."

We walked down the staircase and into the cave below. The cave was inhabited mostly by Corsolas and Binicles, which led me to think that while the cave is dry now, it was once submerged and due to the wet walls, ceiling and ground, it probably wasn't that long ago. The tunnel dipped down and then became a steep incline. I had no clue how far in we were until we emerged inside some building.

"Looks like we made it inside Aquarhont," said Fluffi, "who knows what treasures the ancient Pokémon of this city could've left us?"

"Don't get your hopes up," said Duran, "it is probably all worthless from being submerged so long."

"Well, no use standing around here," said Ivy, "I'll just open this door up and we'll-"

"I don't think that's such a good idea," I said, "look out this window."

Everyone walked over to the window I was staring out of and we seen nothing but water and a lot of submerged buildings outside.

"Whoa, good thing that window and those doors have held so well over the years," said Fluffi.

"These walls are pure white, are they made of marble?" I asked.

"I doubt it," said Duran, "marble dissolves quite easily in water, if these walls were marble, this whole building would've dissolved."

"This is mythril," said Ivy, "the methods used to manufacture it, much less build with it is lost knowledge, but it is said that buildings that were made with it could survive almost anything."

"Is it valuable?" Asked Fluffi.

"To the right person, yes," said Ivy, "but only if in a large enough quantity. Architects are still trying to figure out how to work with it."

"Let's take some," said Fluffi.

"Accursed One first, then we'll gather up the mythril," I said.

"Party pooper," said Fluffi.

We made our way up a nearby staircase that we had somehow missed before and continued up a few floors. It was about the fourth floor when I looked out a nearby window we were passing and seen a Sharpedo staring at me through the window.

"Waah!" I yelled as I jumped and nearly tripped over Duran.

"It's just a Sharpedo," said Fluffi, looking out at the laughing Sharpedo, who then swam away.

"Look out where you step next time," said Duran.

"Are you ready to move on, Drake?" Asked Ivy.

"Yeah, just let my heart make its way back into my chest," I said.

After I got a hold of myself, we continued on up a few more floors until we emerged onto the roof. We seen that with the building arranged like they were, we could hop from rooftop to rooftop to get where we wanted to go. We looked at the water surrounding us and noticed ripples in the water. It seems that the story about Aquarhont sinking again were true! In that case, we had to continue on, now!

We hopped from rooftop to rooftop evading the now rapidly rising water. It was now apparent that we were not getting back the way we came. We eventually made it to a bridge that led to an ancient cathedral, the highest building in the city. Now, how were we going to get back home? As we walked on the bridge, I knew we were in deep doo-doo, because, just then two Gyarados leapt from the water and surrounded us. One behind us and a shiny Gyarados in front of us. And as luck would have it, they were both enraged Pokémon.

The shiny Gyarados attacked first, using Aqua Tail on us, but we managed to dodge it. Ivy then beat him back with Leaf Blade and Duran used Shock Wave on him.

"We'll handle this one," said Ivy.

"You two focus on the other Gyarados," said Duran.

It wasn't like that Gyarados gave us a choice either, as he lunged forward to bite me with Crunch, but Fluffi stepped in the way and used Charge Beam on him.

"Dragon Claw!" I yelled as I hit the cringing Gyarados.

The shiny Gyarados then hit Ivy with Ice Fang, giving her a chilling wound.

"Iron Tail!" Yelled Ivy, punishing the shiny Gyarados for that.

"Rock Slide!" Yelled Duran, getting the shiny Gyarados to finally release Ivy as she got buried in rocks.

Things were not going so well over where we were as the Gyarados used a Leer and Twister combo on us, blowing us back towards Duran and Ivy.

"Ice Fang!" Yelled the shiny Gyarados, biting Ivy again, causing her to get to critical HP and then the shiny Gyarados started charging her Hyper Beam.

"Get down!" Yelled Duran, to which no one argued.

The shiny Gyarados fired his Hyper Beam and accidentally hit the other Gyarados with it, KOing him. Ivy then started glowing green.

"What's happening to you?" I asked.

"All right, Overgrow kicked in," said Ivy, "I was wondering when it would."

Ivy then hit the recharging shiny Gyarados with a barrage of Vine Whips and Leaf Blades until the shiny Gyarados was knocked out too.

"Let's go before they get up," I said, "I hear that Gyarados are always angry and probably will kick our cans to the curb if we're around when they wake up."

Everyone agreed and we continued on into the cathedral. Inside the cathedral every statue was golden and they all depicted Pokémon we'd never seen before. Nearby I seen a wheel that was titled: Flood Gate Controls. The wheel was in the 'up' position, so I turned the wheel and locked it in the 'down' position. We then heard the waters outside draining away somewhere.

"Nice thinking, Drake," said Ivy, "Now we might be able to get out of here."

"Hey, there's still time to see how well Bunearys swim," said Duran, "we could just throw one into the water to find out. Oh, hi there Fluffi!"

"Duran, remember who saved you from Froslass," said Fluffi.

"I'm just kidding," said Duran, "learn to take a joke."

"Changing the subject," I said, "It will take some time for all the water to drain, in the meantime, let's continue on."

We continued exploring until we entered the main chapel area of the cathedral.

"I think I see why Aquarhont sunk now," said Ivy, "this whole chapel was built on greed."

"Well, if that's the case, you'd better watch out, Fluffi," said Duran.

"Hey, I'm not _that_ greedy!" Said Fluffi.

"Duran, drop it, you can pick on her later," I said.

"Actually, you don't know how much time you have left to pick on someone," said Duran.

"Wow, that's deep," I said.

"Sorry to intrude on the philosophical lesson, but we aren't alone here," said Ivy.

We looked where Ivy was staring and seen a large, white Pokémon sitting there listening to us.

"For the record," said the Pokémon, "if I wanted to, I could've killed you by now."

"Lugia?" Asked Ivy, "Wait, you're an Accursed One."

"Yes, I am," said the Lugia, "my name is Cecidissent. I was once an angel who sought to rule over the planet."

"I thought all Accursed Ones were just collections of negative emotions," said Fluffi.

"I and one other Accursed One didn't start off that way," said Cecidissent, "as punishment for not knowing my place, I was turned into an Accursed One and doomed to walk the earth."

"So your plans backfired," said Duran, "serves you right!"

"Oh, contraire," said Cecidissent, "I now have to go about my plans in a different way, by turning all the world's Pokémon into my own private army and leading them against he who cursed me."

"Well, we will stop you, here and now!" I said.

"Really, I know you beat three other Accursed Ones, but you can't beat an angel," said Cecidissent, "honestly what can a few Pokémon and a- Oh! You're a-! Well, this is surprising."

"Huh? What are you talking about?" I asked.

"You don't know what you are?" Asked Cecidissent, "this keeps getting more interesting by the second. Tell you what, I won't use my barrier, so you need not use your Etherlight."

"How do you know about the Etherlight?" Asked Fluffi.

"That's not important," said Cecidissent, "you are my enemy and I am your butcher!"

Cecidissent flew off toward us and Fluffi used Charge Beam on Cecidissent, but she easily dodged it.

"Aeroblast!" Yelled Cecidissent, hitting Fluffi with the blow.

"Iron Tail!" Yelled Duran, but he missed her by a mile.

Ivy used Leaf Blade and I used Shadow Claw, however, only Ivy's attack managed to hit her.

"Shadow Ball!" Yelled Fluffi, but unfortunately, she missed too.

"Psyshock!" Yelled Cecidissent, grilling Fluffi and causing her to get to critical HP.

The rest of us then used a triple Iron Tail on Cecidissent, hitting her. Fluffi then ate an Oran Berry.

"How do so many of our attacks keep miss-," began Duran.

"Divine punishment!" Yelled Cecidissent, "Angelic Thunder!"

Cecidissent then used Aeroblast on Duran and then hit him with Charge Beam and then Thunder, knocking him out.

"Duran!" Yelled Ivy. 

I used the Etherlight in an attempt to increase my accuracy and used a Double Shadow Claw on Cecidissent.

"Vine Whip!" Yelled Ivy, using the vines to launch herself toward Cecidissent.

"Aqua Tail!" Yelled Ivy, managing to land the blow on Cecidissent's back

Apparently the Etherlight made Cecidissent slower.

"Shadow Ball!" Yelled Fluffi, hitting Cecidissent with a barrage of Shadow Balls and finishing her off.

We hid ourselves and Duran behind some pews and then braced ourselves as Cecidissent exploded into a huge electrical storm, then as soon as the last few bolts dissipated, we left the now ruined chapel and waited for Duran to wake up and when he did, we made our way into the underground tunnel that led us into Aquarhont.


	10. Chapter X: The Chase

Chapter X: The Chase

As we emerged from the tunnel that led us into Aquarhont, I instantly knew that something was very wrong. The air seemed to grow still and stagnant and all around there was a dark sense of foreboding. The waters of the Clear Sea even seemed unwell. I looked at everyone else and I could tell that they were feeling something similar.

"Something's not right," I said.

"I feel it too," said Fluffi.

"It's as if the earth itself is silent," said Duran.

"Stay alert," said Ivy.

Everyone stood on high alert, shifting our gaze everywhere we could to find the source of the disquiet. Eventually my gaze shifted to the forest a few yards away. I soon noticed strange shapes moving within. I then noticed that all around us were strange shadows that seemed to have no origin. Then it hit me-

"Look out!" I warned, "we're surrounded!"

 _"Well, well, observant are we?"_

Both mine and Fluffi's eyes grew wide.

"We know that voice!" Said Fluffi.

Then, the invisibility was lifted and we found ourselves surrounded by Weezings, Tentacruels, Haunters, and much to our surprise, Honchkrow, Malamar, and the one who spoke to us, Zoroark.

"Look at what our trap has caught," said Honchkrow.

"Fluffi, Drake, who are they?" Asked Ivy, "you two act as if you know them."

"Honchkrow is an outlaw that we caught selling black market, defective TMs," said Fluffi, "Malamar is the outlaw we fought on Steadfast Island and Zoroark I hate the most because he is the one who got us lost in the Hydro Temple!"

"Oh, I'm flattered, you remember us," said Malamar.

"Aren't you all supposed to be in jail or something?" Asked Duran.

"We escaped," said Zoroark, "those fools put us three in one cell."

"No jail can hold our team back," said Honchkrow.

"Team?" Asked Ivy.

"The three of us make up Team Clandestine," said Malamar, "our goal is to rule the world from the underworld and these Pokémon are our underlings."

"I understand why you want to trap us," I said, "but I don't understand how you knew we'd be here."

"Our leader told us you'd be here," said Zoroark.

"Your leader?" Asked Ivy.

"Yes, she knew exactly where you would be, so we opened the floodgates in order to lure you here," said Malamar.

"You were the ones sinking the city!?" I asked angrily.

"Every prey has their bait," said Honchkrow.

"You were supposed to die there," said Zoroark, "but now, it seems we've got to take a more personal touch with you. Get them!"

"We won't be able to take them all," I said, "make a hole and run!"

The nearest Weezing to me took the initiative and tried to hit me with Double Hit, but I managed to dodge it. Ivy then jumped and hit that Weezing with Iron Tail.

"Water Pulse!" Yelled a Tentacruel, launching the attack at Duran, but he leapt to the side and caused the attack to hit a Weezing behind him, confusing it.

"Acid!" Yelled another Tentacruel, managing to cover me in that burning substance.

The confused Weezing floated away a little bit and used Explosion. Duran was caught in the blast, but it barely did anything to him due to being a Steel-Type, but that Weezing took down itself along with 13 other Pokémon and, as luck would have it, provided the exact avenue for escape that we needed, so we booked it. We didn't know which direction we headed in, all we knew is that we had to get out of there, and fast.

We ran for as far as our legs could carry us. We only took a few minutes to rest then we heard our foes gaining up on us, so we continued running. This would be so much easier with wings. We eventually gained a little bit of distance over them, so we stopped a little while to rest and to get our bearings.

"Geez, won't those guys ever give up?" Asked Fluffi, catching her breath.

"Probably not," said Duran, also short on breath.

"Let's see, a rock shaped like a Nosepass, a narrow valley, hmm," I said looking at the map.

"Right there!" Said Ivy pointing at a spot on the map, "we're right beside Compass Cave."

"Oh no," I said.

"What is it?" asked Duran, walking over to us while Fluffi listened for signs of pursuit.

"We started at Aquarhont and we're now at Compass Cave, we're running away from town," I said.

"We need to correct our course," said Ivy.

"I don't think that's a option right now," said Fluffi, "they're closing in; and fast."

"Time to move on," said Duran, "once we're done here, we are all going to have chiseled abs and rock-hard buns."

We continued on through the only path we could, Compass Cave. Compared to what we usually face, this place was pretty calm and placid. We breezed right through the dungeon. It wasn't long before we found the exit. We were about to go through it when Honchkrow cut us off.

"Are we done playing games?" Asked Honchkrow.

Just then, two Weezing and three Haunters caught up to us.

"Surrounded again!" spat Duran.

"If we beat them quickly, we can get out of here before any more show up," said Fluffi.

"Quite a cleaver move, using the chaos caused by that Explosion to cover your escape, but it won't happen again," said Honchkrow, "swarm them!"

Fluffi abruptly responded by nailing Honchkrow in the beak with a Power-Up Punch.

"I'll handle Honchkrow," said Fluffi, "the rest of you take care of the henchmen!"

A Haunter used Shadow Ball and the two Weezings used Sludge Bomb.

"Shadow Claw!" I yelled attacking the haunter which just attacked, scoring a critical hit and KOing it in one hit.

"Night Shade!" yelled the two remaining Haunters, hitting me with the double attack.

Ivy tossed me an Oran Berry, which I ate.

"Aerial Ace!" Yelled Honchkrow, dealing damage to Fluffi.

"Heavy Slam!" Yelled Duran landing the attack on Weezing, who was apparently injured from the Explosion before, and KO'd it in one hit.

Fluffi used Shadow Ball on Honchkrow, who then retaliated with his own Shadow Ball. Unfortunately for Honchkrow, Fluffi only meant that as a distraction, because she then hammered Honchkrow with Charge Beam.

"Smog!" Yelled Weezing, poisoning me, but I got my revenge when I KO'd Weezing with Iron Tail.

"Venoshock!" Yelled the haunters, but only one of those attacks hit me.

Ivy and Duran double teamed the Haunter that managed to hit me, Ivy using Iron Tail and Duran using Rock Slide and somehow managed to KO it.

"Steel Wing!" Yelled Honchkrow after he got up.

"Power-Up Punch!" Yelled Fluffi, parrying Honchkrow's attack.

"Shadow Claw!" I yelled, finishing off the last remaining Haunter.

"Are you serious? You actually managed to beat them?" Asked Honchkrow, "grr, I'll have to retreat for now."

Honchkrow then turned and flew away so we decided to get going before even more enemies show up. We ran and ran until we came across a large, dense, forest. We then adjusted our course as best we could to be on a more direct course toward town. We soon found ourselves lost in the forest. It quickly became night so, we decided to get some rest and set up a watch in case of a surprise attack. I was second to take the watch and it was around 11pm when I got started. I was wondering what everyone back at the guild was doing and if anyone was worried over our prolonged absence. As I was pondering these things, I heard a familiar voice.

 _"Well, well, I never thought I'd see you again."_

I looked atop a nearby tree stump and noticed Pyroar standing there, looking at me.

"Pyroar?" I asked, "is that really you?"

"Of course it is," said Pyroar, "did you find the treasure you were after?"

"Yes," I said, "did you find what _you_ were looking for."

"Not yet," said Pyroar, "Yggdrasil will not be so easily found."

"Yggdrasil?" I asked.

"You need not concern yourself with that," said Pyroar, "what have you been doing all this time?"

"We're hunting the Accursed Ones," I said.

"Really, you're wasting your time on something as inconsequential as that?" Asked Pyroar.

"The Accursed ones are a threat to all the world."

"They're not important. Join me and we can stop a real threat."

"What threat?"

"To cleanse the world, we must purge it of its evil."

"Meaning?"

"You will find the meaning in time, if you would come with me now."

"What about my friends."

"Leave them. They're not important."

"How could you say that!? I need them and they need me."

"It is weakness to rely on others. It is only logical to do it alone, after all you wouldn't want them hurt, would you?"

"I will not leave them. Especially not right now, they're counting on me."

"I see your heart won't be swayed. Hearts are so stubborn."

"..."

"I will give you some time. Time to learn to quit listening to your emotions and decide, for once, what is truly best for the world."

Pyroar then leapt out of view and after a moment to take in the conversation we just had, I returned to my watchman's duties, until a few hours later, Duran relieved me. We woke up the next day to Fluffi telling us it was time to go. However, we had only gotten a few acres before we found ourselves surrounded yet again, but this time by three Tentacruel, two Haunters and Malamar.

"Boy, you four are easy to surround," said Malamar, "you really shouldn't have had a Charmander keep watch, his tail was like a beacon that led us straight to you."

I caught Fluffi, Duran and Ivy staring at me.

"Hey! I can't help it if my tail produces its own light," I said.

"Next time, you're staying inside the shelter," said Duran.

"Well, anyway, I've been looking for a new punching bag," I said, "you think you can manage, You overgrown, topsy-turvy, mollusk?"

"Well, he's dead," said Fluffi.

A Tentacruel used Bubblebeam on me, which I dodged.

"Night Slash!" Yelled Malamar, whipping me and causing a slight stinging sensation.

"Charge Beam!" Yelled Fluffi.

"Rock Slide!" Yelled Duran.

The two attacks knocked out a poor innocent Tentacruel.

"Leaf Blade!" Yelled Ivy, slamming the Tentacruel that attacked me with her tail.

A Haunter then floated over and managed to hit Ivy with Venoshock.

"Dragon Claw!" I yelled, KOing the weakened Tentacruel.

"Shadow Ball!" Yelled the other Haunter, blasting me with the attack.

The remaining Tentacruel then coated Fluffi with Acid Spray.

Malamar's tentacles started glowing, and then he yelled, "Psycho Cut!" and launched pink blades from them, hitting me square in the chest and cutting into my flesh.

Fluffi and Duran then did their Charge Beam and Rock Slide combo on the remaining Tentacruel, KOing it.

"Iron Tail!" Yelled Ivy, hitting the nearest Haunter.

"Dark Pulse!" Yelled Haunter, but Ivy used her Vine Whip just in time to help her dodge it.

"Shadow Claw!" I yelled as I KO'd the Haunter that Ivy attacked.

The remaining Haunter then used Shadow Ball on me again, but I dodged that one.

"Aerial Ace!" Yelled Malamar, catching me off guard with that attack and plummeting me into critical HP.

Fluffi then used Charge Beam and Duran used Rock Slide on the remaining Haunter KOing it.

Then I seen my body glowing red, and the fire on my tail had gotten much bigger.

"Blaze is active, all right!" I said, "Flamethrower!"

Malamar took my newly dubbed 'nitro-thrower', seriously burning him and then Ivy threw me an Oran Berry, which I ate.

"I'll never win at this rate!" Spat Malamar, "I'll let you live, for now."

Malamar then vanished and after some first aid, we continued onward. We passed through a few Mystery Dungeons and gained some distance over our pursuers. Eventually, night came again and we camped out again, however I was forbidden from ever going outside the shelter we had prepared. When morning came, we took down the shelter and continued on through Misty Forest, another Mystery Dungeon, and eventually arrived at, you guessed it, a dead end.

"Oh no, a dead end," said Ivy.

 _"You four must like falling into traps or something."_

We turned to see Zoroark standing there, blocking our only exit with five Haunter flanking him.

"How easily you fall into my maze of illusions," said Zoroark, "not once, but twice."

"When we get back home, I'll never run another day in my life," said Fluffi.

" _If_ you get home," said Zoroark, "I usually play with my prey before devouring it, but you four are so great a nuisance, that I'll make an exception. Kill the males, but restrain the females. They're my property."

"Property!?" Asked Ivy in disbelief, "you boys take the Haunters, we're going to have a little, violent, chat with 'Foxy'."

The Haunters didn't give us much choice as three of them tried hitting us with a triple Dark Pulse, which Duran and I dodged.

"Frenzy Claw!" I yelled, KOing a Haunter with a flurry of Shadow Claws.

"Heavy Slam!" Yelled Duran, KOing another Haunter, "Frenzy Claw, Drake?"

"What? I'm not allowed to make up my own move names?"

"No, you are not."

"Shadow Ball!" Yelled Haunter, but I slashed the attack in half with Shadow Claw.

"Night Slash!" Yelled Zoroark, scoring a crit on Fluffi.

Ivy tossed her a Oran Berry, which she ate and then hit Zoroark with Power-Up Punch.

"Venoshock!" Yelled a Haunter, attacking Duran, which he didn't even bother to dodge.

"Dark Pulse!"

That Haunter then hit me with the attack, but I returned the favor by hitting it with another Frenzy Claw, KOing it.

"Two to go!" Said Duran "Heavy Slam!"

Another Haunter bites the dust.

"Iron Tail!" Yelled Ivy, attacking Zoroark, who had somehow tied Fluffi up.

"Free me, Ivy!"

"Working on it!"

No matter how much Fluffi tried, she could not break free of her bonds, so the remaining Haunter took her to the top of a nearby tree and gagged and left her there.

"Shadow Claw!" I yelled, KOing the Haunter when I had seen it again, however, I had no clue where Fluffi was at this time.

Duran then used Rock Slide on Zoroark and Ivy used Aqua Tail.

"Gah! I'll just take my prize and be out of here!" Growled Zoroark.

As Zoroark leapt toward the tree, I pounded him with some of my moves as Ivy used her vines to get Fluffi down and untie her.

"You four are a real thorn in my side!" Spat Zoroark.

Just then, Malamar and Honchkrow flew down and landed at Zoroark's side.

"You never change," said Honchkrow, "we plot revenge and you try to grab 'trophies'."

"There is only one way we can beat them now," said Malamar, "we must band together and beat them here and now. You can claim your 'trophies' after the battle."

"You're right," said Zoroark, "and when we beat them you two may share my 'trophies' as you call them."

"Hello, we're right here!" Said Fluffi.

"And no one is going to make a trophy of me!" Said Ivy.

"All of you will share the same fate," said Zoroark, "en Garde!"

"Aerial Ace!" Yelled Duran, causing unavoidable damage.

"Big deal, I can do that too!" Said Zoroark, "Aerial Ace!"

The Aerial Ace caused far less damage to Duran than it did to Zoroark.

"Shadow Ball!" Yelled Fluffi, attacking Malamar who retaliated by also using Aerial Ace.

"Iron Tail!" Yelled Ivy, slamming Honchkrow, but he ignored Ivy and almost hit me with Shadow Ball.

"Flamethrower!"

"Oh, sweet, salty Espeon, no!" Honchkrow yelled as he got a face full of searing hot flames.

Duran then focused his attention on Honchkrow and literally buried him with Rock Slide.

"Flamethrower!" Yelled Zoroark, singing Duran.

"Charge Beam!" Yelled Fluffi.

"Superpower!" Yelled Malamar.

The two attacks hit each other and almost KO'd Fluffi, so Ivy tossed her an Oran Berry.

"Shadow Claw!" I yelled.

"Aerial Ace!" Yelled Duran.

The two attacks knocked out Malamar and Zoroark.

"Wow, that was... surprisingly easy," I said.

"You wore us down," said Honchkrow, through the rocks.

"And if our boss was here," said Malamar, "this would be very different."

We then heard a loud rumbling noise somewhere in the distance.

"That would be our henchmen, waking up and wanting blood, your blood," said Zoroark, "if you want to keep living, I suggest you get out of here, before they heal us and find you."

"I suggest we do as he says," said Ivy.

She didn't need to say that as we were already on our way out of there. we left Misty Forest and continued onward. Our pursuers had obviously not given up as we had to fight off some following Weezings and Tentacruels and the occasional Haunter. We eventually came across a ruined town and decided to hide at the bottom of a nearby dry well until we were sure we lost them. Meanwhile at the edge of the town, Team Clandestine had followed us. We could hear them clearly."

 _"They went in there, let's get them!"_

 _"No leave them,"_ said Zoroark.

 _"But why?"_

 _"This place is called the Deadlands,"_ said Malamar.

 _"For a good reason too,"_ said Zoroark, _"let's go back to HQ. The Deadlands will do our work for us."_

We heard them leave and I looked around and noticed that Ivy was as white as a, well, ghost.

"The D-D-Deadlands...? We have to get out of here, now!" Said Ivy.

Ivy used her vines to grab onto the well's canopy and pull herself up. Well, she would've but as she applied some pressure, the canopy collapsed and blocked the entrance. It was now so dark that the only light we could see was from my tail's fire.

"Oh no, oh no, oh no, we can't be trapped here," said Ivy.

"Why? What's so scary about this place?" Asked Fluffi, "other than the pitch blackness, I mean."

"No one who ever has entered this place has come out alive," said Ivy, "only the dead live here."


	11. Chapter XI: The Shroud of the Reaper

Chapter XI: The Shroud of the Reaper

"This is bad, This is bad, This is bad, This is bad," said Ivy, panicking.

"Fluffi, slap her," said Duran.

"Ow!" said Ivy.

"Good work, Fluffi," said Duran.

"We must get out of here," said Ivy, "if we don't."

I fired a Flamethrower attack where I thought the side of the well was and the flames reached their maximum length rather than stopping at a wall. I walked over to where the wall was supposed to be and felt nothing. Then I walked to one of the sides and felt that the rock was carved into a tunnel, one made by Pokémon.

"This well leads into an underground tunnel," I said, "and the walls don't feel natural."

"So, this tunnel is Pokémon made?" Asked Fluffi.

"How will going deeper into this place get us out?" Asked Ivy.

"If this place is truly not natural then there should be some sort of ventilation shaft built," I said, "we find that and escape from there."

"I'd rather not go further in there," said Ivy.

"You'd rather stay here, alone?" Asked Duran.

"You make a very convincing argument," said Ivy.

"I'll take point," I said.

"If only one of us had learned Flash," said Fluffi, "would come in real handy right now."

"I can learn it if you'd give me the TM," said Ivy.

"We don't have that TM," I said.

"Just our luck," said Duran.

"Well, where would you rather be, in a dark cave, or with _them_?" I asked, pointing up.

"I'm still on the fence about that," said Ivy.

"Well, let's get going," said Fluffi, "we won't make any progress just standing around here."

We started walking into the pitch darkness. I was leading, letting my tail act as a light for our little group. Every once in a while, I would use Flamethrower to illuminate the corridor in order to plot our course. Occasionally, we would have to fight off a Ghost-Type Pokémon or two. Eventually we seen some light in the distance, we ran to it, thinking that it was an exit, but as we approached, we seen that it was just some glowing moss surrounding a pool of water, everything was covered in bones.

"B-b-b-b-bones!" Said Ivy.

"Boo!" Yelled Duran, from behind her.

Ivy jumped and then started flaying Duran with Vine Whip.

"Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow!" Said Duran.

"Don't. Ever. Do. That. Again!" Said Ivy with each word punctuated by a slap with Vine Whip.

Fluffi and I got in between them and broke them up.

"Duran, did you learn your lesson?" I asked.

"I think so," said Duran.

Just then a Kricketune appeared, hovering above the pool of water.

"What business do you have here in a land where only the dead roam?" Asked the floating Kricketune, "the living are not welcome here, or do you wish to join the dead? That is fine. In that case listen to the melody of death that I have composed and join the ranks of the dead!"

The Kricketune spirit started waving its arms like it was conducting. Then, we heard an eerie tune playing all around us. It was the kind of tune that makes your hair stand up. As the tune was playing, I could feel my life force slipping away. I blasted Kricketune with my Flamethrower, but it went right through it. So then we ran onward, out of the chamber with the pool of water and into the dark corridor. We kept on running until, we didn't feel the life draining effect anymore.

"A composer ghost?" Asked Fluffi, panting on the ground.

"An evil one," said Ivy, "now you see what I was saying about this place?"

I looked around, we were at an underground lake. Enough light was escaping through some holes in the cave ceiling that we didn't need my tail to light the way.

"Looks like they built their well in the wrong place," I said.

 _"I killed them."_

"Who said that?" Asked Duran.

 _"You seen me do it."_

"Show yourself, Froslass!" Yelled Duran.

 _"You remembered me, good."_

"How could I not?" said Duran, "You killed my family!"

Duran's gaze and anger was now focused on a spot that I couldn't see, and apparently, neither could Ivy or Fluffi.

 _"You know who's really at fault? Those two clowns you call friends. If they had come sooner, I may not have been able to butcher them all."_

"You liar! You know nothing!" Yelled Duran.

 _"You know it's true. I can feel it. You know what must be done?"_

"What are you getting at?" Asked Duran.

 _"Kill them. Only then will your family be truly avenged."_

"I couldn't, they saved me from you!" Said Duran.

 _"And what makes you think that they did so on purpose?"_

 _"Kill them before they kill you!"_

"Quiet! You don't know a thing about us!" Yelled Duran.

Duran then used Heavy Slam at the spot he was yelling at and then a Shuppet appeared before us, hit by the attack.

"Harrah! You dolt! I thought you'd fall for my illusion!" Said Shuppet.

"I've had enough of illusions for one day," said Duran.

"I've had enough of this facade too," said Shuppet, "time to kill! Feint Attack!"

Shuppet disappeared and reappeared behind Duran and shot him with dark beams form her eyes. Fluffi and I jumped in front of Shuppet and Fluffi used Charge Beam while I used Flamethrower and hit Shuppet.

"Aerial Ace!" Yelled Duran, slamming into Shuppet like a homing missile.

"Vine Whip!" Yelled Ivy, slamming Shuppet into the ground.

"Will-O'-Wisp!" Yelled Shuppet, firing ghostly fire at Ivy, burning her.

Shuppet then snuck behind Ivy with Shadow Sneak and launched a surprise attack.

"Shadow Ball! Yelled Fluffi.

"Shadow Claw!" I yelled.

Our double attack connected, causing Shuppet to melt into the shadows whence she came.

"Yeah, take that!" Yelled Duran, "and don't impersonate Froslass next time!"

"What was that about Froslass?" Asked Fluffi.

"You seen it," said Duran, "Shuppet disguised herself as Froslass and tried to get me to attack you."

"No one was there," I said, "you attacked the air."

"How did you not see it?" Asked Duran, "she was right there."

"We didn't see anything before you attacked her," I said, "we heard a voice, but that was it."

"I thought you were going crazy," said Fluffi.

Ivy, Duran and I looked at Fluffi.

"What? I did," said Fluffi.

"How was it that only I seen it?" Asked Duran.

"Shuppet was focused on you," said Ivy, "Shuppet feed on the vengeance that lurks in the hearts of Pokémon."

"But why me?" Asked Duran.

"You still seek vengeance for what happened at Steadfast Island," said Ivy, "seems like a feeding frenzy to me. Speaking of which..."

Ivy dug into the bag and ate a Heal Seed, curing her burn.

"I thought this place was called the 'Deadlands' not the 'vengeance-lands'," I said.

"Rumor is that this place is set up to slowly sap away your life energy and draw out your misery before killing you," said Ivy.

"Wait, that Kricketune from before, what if that was actually..." said Duran.

"Well, let's find the way out ASAP," I said.

"Wow, Drake, I'm impressed," said Fluffi, "you always seemed like a big chicken to me, but you're remarkably brave for a haunted place like this."

"I aint afraid of no ghosts," I said.

"WoooOOOooo!" said Duran.

I jumped a mile and then retaliated with Dragon Claw.

"Ahhh! Don't do that!" I said.

Duran laughed and cringed in pain. I don't know which was more severe and we continued onward. We no longer needed my tail to light the way due to glowing moss along the walls lighting our way.

"Careful," I cautioned a few meters into a room at the end of the corridor, "watch your step."

"Ow!" said Fluffi as she tripped on a rock.

"What did I just say?" I asked.

"Fluffi, you klutz," said Duran.

"Stupid rock!" said Fluffi as she got up and kicked the rock she tripped over.

When the kicked rock finally rested on the ground, the cracks in it started glowing.

"Uhh, Ivy, what is that? The rock is glowing," I said.

"Actually, I think that's a keystone," said Duran.

"What difference does it make!?" I snapped.

"What makes you think I know?" Asked Ivy.

Just then a ghostly head materialized from the Odd Keystone revealing that it was a Spiritomb.

"Who kicked my keystone?" Asked Spiritomb.

"It was her!" Duran, Ivy and I said at once, pointing at Fluffi.

"Thanks, you guys are the best friends ever," said Fluffi, sarcastically.

"All of you shall share the punishment I have planned for her!" Said Spiritomb, "you shall suffer the punishment of the 108 souls!"

Then reality shifted all around us and then we were trapped in a shadowy realm with no way out as lost souls raced toward us.

"Only one way out!" I said, "Attack!"

"Die trying!" Yelled Spiritomb, "Curse!"

I felt something weird happen to my entire body as I got cursed. It felt as though I had two different entities controlling my body and only one of them was me.

"Shadow Ball!" Yelled Fluffi, however, he dodged it by momentarily returning to the Odd Keystone.

"Aerial Ace!" Yelled Duran, whose attack, obviously, couldn't be dodged by Spiritomb.

"Iron Tail!" Yelled Ivy, slamming Spiritomb while he was still recoiling from Duran's attack.

"Dragon Claw!" I yelled, however, something about the Curse wouldn't let my body move like it should, so Spiritomb easily dodged it. Then, the other effects of the Curse came into play, sapping away some of my life energy.

Spiritomb took advantage of this and used a Dark Pulse and Shadow Sneak combo on me.

"Drake needs a berry!" Yelled Duran.

"No you don't!" Yelled Spiritomb, "Hypnosis!"

I then fell asleep. For how long, well, I don't know. I had hoped to see Cresselia in my dream, but she didn't show, no matter how hard I tried. I kept on thinking that this was the end for me. The Curse would claim my life and I would be doomed to be a lost soul forever. Just then, the sleep faded and I opened my eyes.

"Oh I'm dead!" I grieved, "please tell me that the afterlife I ended up in isn't the Egyptian one with the devourer beasts."

"Uh, Drake, everything's fine, Spiritomb is defeated," said Duran.

"Uhh...," I said.

"You're not dead," said Fluffi, "You were saved."

"I can't believe it," I said in horror, "you all died too! By Thor's beard, I'm in Valhalla! Not the Norse afterlife! I don't want to fight until I die over and over again!"

Ivy then used Vine Whip to smack me painfully on the cheek.

"We are not in Valhalla, whatever the crap that is!" Said Ivy, "We, including you, are all alive!"

Fluffi, Ivy and Duran spent the next hour or so explaining to me that I wasn't dead, Spiritomb's Curse lifted, he got defeated and the Hypnosis worn off. Even afterward I wasn't entirely convinced. We continued on in the cave, which got dark again, so we had to use my tail yet again. We eventually came upon a chamber with three oil lamps and a chandelier lighting the room. However, the flame emitted by these light fixtures were a dark purple, not orange or red. That's when it hit me, these were actually...

"Watch out!" I said, "Those lamps and the chandelier are Pokémon!"

Then, lo and behold, the lighting fixtures came to life and floated towards us. We then identified the Pokémon as three Lampents and a Chandelure.

"Four more souls," said Chandelure, "as you four die I'll be sure and make your souls pass through my fire. Then, they'll be forced to wander this world forever, unable to pass on. Lampents, do your thing!"

"Curse!" yelled the Lampents at once.

"I don't think so," said Fluffi throwing an Orb onto the ground, "Health orb!"

The orb shattered and we were covered in an aura which the triple Curse had no effect.

"Wait," I said, "Why didn't you use that before?"

"I forgot we had it," said Fluffi.

"A Health Orb," said Chandelure, "unfortunate, but not unexpected. Guess we do this the old fashioned way. Lampent Squad, kill them!"

"If I had five Poké for every time someone tried to do that to us this week," said Duran.

"Smog!" Yelled a Lampent, surrounding Duran with poisonous-looking smoke.

Chandelure fired a Shadow Ball at me, which I slashed in half with Shadow Claw.

"Smog!" Yelled another Lampent, targeting Fluffi this time.

"Rock Slide!" Yelled Duran.

"Shadow Ball!" Yelled Fluffi.

Both of them landed their attacks on the Lampents that attacked each of them respectively and escaped the smoke.

"Shadow Claw!" I yelled, slashing the Chandelure across it's ugly face.

"You two alright?" I asked.

"*Cough!* *Cough!* Yeah, I think I'll be fine," said Duran.

"*Wheeze!* I think I am going to need a bath after this, smoke doesn't agree with my fur," said Fluffi.

"But are you hurt-?" Began Ivy, but the final Lampent cut her off with an Incinerate attack.

Ivy's slender body allowed her to avoid that attack easily.

"You jerk! Aqua Tail!" Yelled Ivy, scoring a crit on the Lampent that attacked her and beating it in one hit, "Never interrupt me when I'm talking!"

"I *Hack!* think that Lampent poisoned me!" Said Fluffi.

"Incinerate!" Yelled the first Lampent, burning a still-hacking Duran.

Chandelure then hit me with a Smog and Flame Burst combo, the latter of which hurt Fluffi, Ivy and Duran as well.

"Hex!" Yelled the second Lampent, dealing additional damage to Fluffi due to her being poisoned.

"Cool off! Water Pulse!" Yelled Duran, putting an end to the first Lampent.

I was having difficulty as Chandelure only got hit by a few Shadow Claws out of the 20 Shadow Claw combo I just unleashed on it. Fluffi and Ivy went medieval on the remaining Lampent, hitting it with a long string of Shadow Balls and Aqua Tails. Needless to say, it can no longer battle. Now only Chandelure remained.

"You three stay out of it!" I said, "He's mine."

"Fair enough," said Fluffi, "now taking bets for the Drake vs. Chandelure fight! Interested parties place your bids now!"

"1000 Poké on Drake!" Said Ivy.

"500 Poké on Drake!" Said Duran.

"3500 Poké on Chandelure!" Said Fluffi.

"Fluffi!" I yelled.

"What?" asked Fluffi, "I need the money. Get on with the fight already!"

Well, to tell the truth, it wasn't much of a fight, Chandelure was worn down by my attacks, so I won quite easily.

"I see your power now," said Chandelure, "the power of a- well that's not important."

"Power of a what?" I asked, "answer me!"

"No," said Chandelure, "that which you seek lies within your grasp. The master is now ready to meet you. However, when you meet him you will take your final sleep."

Chandelure and the Lampents then dissolved into the shadows, taking their flames with them and leaving us in the dark again. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that I would be used as a walking, talking torch. As I was thinking all this over, Fluffi grabbed me hard by the neck and spun me around to face her.

"You idiot!" Yelled Fluffi, "Do you realize what you've done!?"

"Graaghgergelle!" I said while being choked.

"Fluffi! Let him breathe! He needs air!"Yelled Ivy, desperately using her vines to get Fluffi to let go.

Fluffi quit choking me and I knelt on the ground for a while trying to get my lungs refilled.

"Well, what do you have to say for yourself?" Asked Fluffi.

"I have no clue what you're talking about," I said, still gasping for breath, "and in all due respect, girl, you crazy."

"You just cost me 5000 Poké!" Said Fluffi, "how am I supposed to repay that?"

"Wait, that's what this is about?" I asked.

"Yeah, so?" Asked Fluffi.

"We've got to talk later," I said, "and we have much to work on before we even get started on those trust issues."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Asked Fluffi.

We continued onward. Luckily, there weren't any branching paths since we got here so we knew we weren't lost. The bad news, though is that we were no closer to finding the exit than we were before. We eventually came upon another chamber with glowing moss and what looked like a large altar or shrine in the middle.

"Watch it be another ambush," said Ivy, "before, I was scared, now, I'm just tired of this."

"I hope we can survive this one too," said Duran.

"We won't have to worry," I said, "we're already dead anyway."

"How many times do we got to say it? We're not dead!" Said Fluffi.

"Oh yeah? Then, explain this!" I said as I grabbed a sharp rock off the ground.

I then stabbed my leg with the rock, causing blood to flow out. It took me a moment before the nerves in my leg screamed out to my pain receptors.

"Ow! Ow! Ow! Son of a blood sucking Dunsparce with diarrhea!" I yelled grabbing my leg, "if I'm dead, why does this hurt so much!?"

"Hold still," said Ivy who then used her vines to yank the rock from my leg.

"Yeouch!" I yelled.

"Fluffi sedate him!" Ordered Ivy.

Fluffi then used a Power-Up Punch upside my head to knock me out.

I awoke a little while later to find my leg bandaged up and Ivy applying some sort of healing salve to it.

"You going to do any more stupid things this week?" Asked Fluffi.

"What hit me?" I asked myself out loud, "oh yeah, you."

"What did you do that for, genius?" Asked Duran sarcastically.

"Dead people aren't supposed to feel pain or bleed," I said.

"And the fact that you did both tells you what?" Asked Duran.

"That... I'm alive...?" I asked.

"Yes and you found that all out on your own, way to go," said Duran.

"Duran," I said humorlessly, "quit trying to be cute."

"Okay patient number 158, Drake the Charmander," said Ivy, "your leg is patched up and the salve will numb all the pain. Next time, don't do something this stupid, I only have a small supply of this salve and I would like it to last until we really need it."

"Okay, everyone, I get the point," I said.

"This is for you," said Ivy, handing me a slip of paper.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Your bill," said Ivy.

"Come on, we're on the same team, you shouldn't charge me!" I said.

"For stupid things, I do," said Ivy.

"Oh, you've been owned Drake," said Duran.

As I looked at the bill and seen the amount, my jaw dropped to the ground. Duran and Fluffi then walked over to take a look at it themselves.

"Wow, double owned," said Duran.

"No, that's just evil," said Fluffi.

We found that the cave continued on behind the shrine, with two glowing moss covered walls pointing our way. We eventually came to a dead end room at the end of the hallway with a pillar of rock in the middle and a swirling column of dark fire on top of it. Just then, a large red and black Pokémon flew over us and landed on the ground facing us.

"Team Dragoon, I presume?" Asked the Pokémon.

"Yes," said Ivy, "are you the Accursed One?"

"No, I'm a giant, flying Teddiursa," said the Pokémon.

"What's your name?" Asked Fluffi.

"I may take the form of Yveltal, but your people refer to me as Death," said the Pokémon.

"Death, as in the Grim Reaper?" I asked.

"Yes," said Death, "I was kicked out of the job and like Cecidissent, cursed to be an Accursed One."

"You must have done something to deserve it," said Ivy.

"Unlike the current Reaper, who only causes a worldwide catastrophe every 10,000 years, I killed everyone I could and relished every kill," said Death, "I enjoyed my job too much, so I became an Accursed One."

"You're a monster," said Ivy.

"What about the enraged Pokémon?" Asked Duran, "all the other Accursed Ones had hordes of them."

"I care little for followers," said Death, "I killed them all. Those Pokémon you fought were just pieces of my essence."

"Killed them? They trusted you!" Said Fluffi.

"Enraged Pokémon care nothing about anyone or anything and they were suffering," said Death, "it was a mercy killing."

"Wha-" I began.

"A bound leg. You are suffering too," said Death, "I'll make all your pain go away and I'll even turn my attention to your friends."

"Friends is a strong word," I said.

"Well, whatever they are to you," said Death, "they may join you in HELL!"

Death tried to hit me with Dragon Claw, but I dodged in the nick of time and then he fired a Dark Pulse at the rest of the team, which was fortunately dodged by all of them.

"Shadow Ball!" Yelled Fluffi, but Death idly smacked it away with his wing, harmlessly.

"Oh, come on!" Yelled Fluffi.

Ivy tried to hit Death with Vine Whip, but he caught the vines in his mouth and then swung Ivy around with her own vines and launched her into a wall.

"Ow! Migraine!" Moaned Ivy, from inside the wall.

I blasted Death with a Flamethrower and Duran hit him with Aerial Ace.

"Only use high accuracy moves!" Said Duran, "and no physical moves!"

"But that's all I got!" Said Ivy.

"Then you die first!" Said Death, "Steel Wing!"

Death hit Ivy with a painful Steel Wing burying her further into the wall.

"Charge Beam!" Yelled Fluffi, hitting Death, square between the shoulder blades.

"Aqua Tail!" Yelled Ivy, smacking Death in the face and freeing herself from the hole.

I then followed up Ivy's attack with Flamethrower and Duran attacked with Water Pulse.

"Oblivion Wing!" Said Death, who then hit me with a beam fired from his chest, restoring his own health.

"This guy is much tougher than the other Accursed Ones," I said.

"Drake, use your Etherlight!" Said Fluffi.

"The amount of power I'd need for something like that would be enormous," I said.

"Focus your energy," said Ivy, "We'll hold him off!"

"Die trying!" Yelled Death, "Steel Wing!"

Death rushed toward me with Steel Wing, but everyone else jumped in my way and intercepted the attack.

"Charge Beam!" Yelled Fluffi.

"Heavy Slam!" Yelled Duran.

"Iron Tail!" Yelled Ivy.

While they did that I began focusing the Etherlight's energy as best I could. I began glowing with that familiar golden glow and Death kept trying to break through the team's defense. Death gave it up at some point and backed off.

"Out of my way!" Yelled Death, "Onslaught of Doom!"

Death collided into them all with a much more powerful Steel Wing, knocking them into the air. Then, he tore into all of them with Dragon Claw and then blasted them with Dark Pulse. Finally, he hit all of them with Oblivion Wing, causing them all to collapse on the ground, spent, and restore Death to full HP.

"Fluffi... Duran... Ivy...," I said as I stared at their broken bodies. They were still alive, but barely.

"Graah!" I yelled as my anger took over and then the Etherlight suddenly burst forth, doing something to my body. I somehow felt stronger, as if I could lift a Snorlax with my bare hands and I somehow grew bigger, that or everyone else shrunk.

"Drake... did he just evolve?" Asked Fluffi.

"Yes... two forms ahead even," said Ivy.

"Drake... is now... a Charizard," said Duran.

"No! No! NO!" Yelled Death as he rushed me with a flurry of Dragon Claws.

Every attack hit and left me in critical HP. Then, you guessed it Blaze activated, causing me to glow red.

"Flamethrower!" I yelled.

I wanted to use Flamethrower, but I realized that I didn't as I let loose a small fireball that collided with Death and then erupted into a mass, cataclysmic inferno. I must've landed a critical hit as well, because the attack took out Death in one blow. I then rush over to where my teammates were and shielded them with my own body as Death exploded into pure darkness. Then, after the last of the darkness dissipated, I released them and then followed Ivy's instructions to heal everyone.

"Wow," said Fluffi, "I still can't believe you just evolved twice like that."

"Evolved?" I asked, "what are you talking about?"

"Look," said Duran, turning around so I could see my reflection on his back.

"What in the world!?" I said, "how did I turn into a dragon!?"

"You evolved," said Ivy, "do you not know what evolution is?"

"Remember, Drake has amnesia," said Duran.

"Either, I'm high or this is all just a dream," I said.

"Wrong on both accounts," said Fluffi, "or do you want to stab your other leg with a rock?"

"If you do, I am not healing you this time," said Ivy.

"Let that go already," I said, "what is evolution?"

"Some Pokémon have the ability to evolve once certain conditions are met, such as reaching a certain level or using a certain stone," said Duran, "and in doing so, the Pokémon's form changes, they get stronger, can learn new moves and even sometimes their ability and types change."

"Really, I just did that?" I asked in amazement.

"It would appear so," said Ivy.

"What I want to know is how you learned Blast Burn," said Fluffi, "Charizards cannot learn that move without a move tutor."

"Well, when I seen you all hurt, I became angry and the Etherlight responded to that," I said.

"So it's the Etherlight's fault?" Asked Fluffi.

"Most likely," I said.

Just then the Etherlight glowed again and then I reverted back into my Charmander evolution.

"Drake, you're back to being a Charmander," said Ivy.

"What?" I asked and then looked into Duran's back again, "Oh no, come back god mode! come back!"

"This has been one weird day," said Fluffi.

Then, I looked at a far wall and seen some weird lights coming out of it. Weird lights out of a wall... then it hit me. I ran over to the wall and noticed that a small portion of it was cracked and light was shining through the cracks. I looked out of one of the cracks and seen what looked like grass. Finally, a way out!

"Everyone! I think I found the way out!" I yelled.

Then everyone ran over to where I was and seen the cracked wall.

"Stand back, Drake," said Duran.

I walked off to the side and then Duran used Heavy Slam and broke a hole in the wall large enough for everyone to get through. We walked out into the blinding light and waited for our eyes to adjust and noticed that we really were outside, with the sun shining down upon us and a gentle breeze drifting across our skin. We heard the chatter of bird Pokémon and felt the warmth of the noon-day sun. Everything was a vast contrast to the world of darkness we just emerged from. We just survived the Deadlands and things were looking up. Little did we know that it was just the calm before the storm.


	12. Chapter XII: Under Yggdrasil's Canopy

Chapter XII: Under Yggdrasil's Canopy

We sat outside the new cave entrance that Duran made and plotted our next course of action. I pulled the map out and we got our bearings for a while to figure out where we were.

"There!" said Duran, pointing at a spot at the map, "we're near a dungeon called Mt. Horn."

"The town is right here and Furfrou and Ninetails's cottage is right here," said Fluffi, pointing at the map.

"Oh no, it's going to take us several days of walking to get back home," said Ivy.

"Aquarhont is closer," said Duran, "could we go back there and use the Magnagate?"

"And get ambushed again?" Asked Fluffi, "No thank you!"

"Well, we only have one choice then," I said, "we've got to walk back to the cottage and give them their device back and then we've got to get back to the guild."

"Everyone's probably worried about us," said Ivy.

"Until we get there, keep a low profile," I said, "Clandestine thinks we're dead and I'd prefer to keep it that way."

We walked and walked and walked for five full days, resting at night, making our way back to the cottage. We stopped on occasion to forage for food and continued on. The only problems we ran across were the occasional angry Ursaring or Scoliopede and we fell into a pitfall trap. Yes, you heard that last one right.

"What was- who did that?" I asked.

We heard laughing from above us.

"Oh no, not them again," said Fluffi.

"Prepare for trouble, a blast from your past."

"And make it double, it's a quadruple twerp catch."

"To protect the world from devastation."

"To unite all peoples within our nation."

"To denounce the evils of truth and love."

"To extend our reach to the stars above."

"Jesse."

"James."

"Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light."

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight, fight and fight."

"Meowth, that's right!"

"Wobbuffet!"

"Who are they?" Asked Ivy.

"Just our friendly neighborhood stalkers," I said.

"Drake, any chance of evolving again and flying us out of here?" Asked Duran.

"That would be a negative, Duran," I said.

"We don't have time to deal with you four right now, Drake, Flamethrower," said Fluffi.

I fired a Flamethrower at Team Rocket, somehow catching James's head on fire, I then grabbed onto everyone and I used my Flamethrower to sort of rocket propel our way out of there. Meanwhile Team Rocket managed to extinguish James's head. Just in time to see us standing there, out of the hole.

"Oh no you don't! Not today!" Yelled Jesse.

Jesse used Flame Charge, James used Crunch and Meowth used Fury Swipes. Fluffi, Duran and I intercepted and used Charge Beam, Water Pulse and Flamethrower respectively, causing them to blast off and leaving just Wobbuffet.

"Wobba? Wobba? Wobbuffet!"

Wobbuffet then ran off after the rest of Team Rocket.

"Really, those were your stalkers, huh?" Asked Ivy.

"Yep, that's them," said Duran.

We continued on for a couple more days and then finally seen Furfrou and Ninetails's cottage in the distance. We ran, not walked to the door and then I knocked on it. The door opened suddenly and smacked me in the face, painfully.

"For the last time, we don't want to buy your stinking blenders!" Yelled Ninetails.

"Oh, hello there everyone, sorry about that," apologized Ninetails.

"Ow...,' I said, holding my head.

"Wait a minute, you look familiar," said Ninetails.

"Did you honestly forget who we are?" Asked Fluffi.

"Oh, Fluffi! And everyone else! You're back!" said Ninetails, "Furfrou, Team Dragoon's back!"

Furfrou came to the door.

"Hello everyone," said Furfrou, "why didn't you use the Magnagate?"

"Something came up," said Ivy, "we had to take the long way back."

"It's a long story," said Duran.

"You beat up two Accursed Ones according to our instruments," said Furfrou, "is that true?"

"Yes," said Fluffi.

"One was at Aquarhont," said Ninetails, "however we didn't recognize the second location."

"The Deadlands," I said.

"What!?" Yelled both of them in unison, "you went to the Deadlands!?"

"Yeah, like I said, long story," said Duran.

"We just dropped by to give you the device back," said Fluffi.

I handed the device to Furfrou.

"You'd best get back to the guild," said Ninetails, "you've been gone for almost two weeks. They're probably worried sick."

"We were going to head there next," I said.

"We're still trying to discern where the energy from the Accursed Ones is going, there is a lot of interference," said Ninetails, "we'll contact the guild once we find something."

"Okay, thanks," I said.

We then hurried to the guild. I was expecting us to get stopped by Stoutland, but he was busy with a Bouffalant that was trying to get in. It was around 8PM by the time we entered the guild. Right about now, the apprentices and guild members would be socializing and exchanging strategizes for the next day. However, when we entered the assembly area, we found everyone sitting down and talking about us.

"What do you think could've happened?" Asked Rose, "almost two weeks and no news."

"Could they be dead?" Asked Rand.

"Don't even joke about that!" Said Arcanine.

"We'll resume our searches for Team Dragoon in the morning," said Sceptile.

Beautifly glanced over and seen us standing there.

"Now, I haven't spoken to Team Dragoon in a while," said Beautifly, "who are their members

again?"

"Drake the Charmander, Fluffi the Buneary," said Mienshao.

"Duran the Aron and Ivy the Snivy," said Elena.

"Like... those four standing right there?" said Beautifly, who was pointing at us.

Everyone looked at us and stared at us for about thirty seconds until it finally clicked with them. Then we were all rushed and everyone started asking us questions all at once. That is until I hit the ground, loudly with Iron Tail, causing everyone to be quiet.

"Everyone shut up and stay calm and we'll tell you the whole story," I said.

Everyone sat back down on the floor of the assembly area and we explained to everyone what had happened since we left to go to Aquarhont. We told them how we fought Cecidissent and were ambushed by Team Clandestine. We told them about how we fled from them and then hid in the Deadlands. We then told them how we survived the many dangers of the Deadlands to find the fifth Accursed One and defeat it. We then told them about how we escaped the cave and made our way back to the guild. When we were finished, it was about 10PM.

"Unreal," said Dragonair.

"So what was in that dark fire on top of the rock pillar?" Asked Plusle.

"We don't know," I said, "it was too far up to see clearly."

"We can talk about all this later," said Stoutland.

"What the-?" Began Fluffi, "When did you get here?"

"Stoutland's right," said Gardevoir, "Team Dragoon, you go to your room and get as much sleep as you need. We'll continue searching for whoever's behind the Accursed Ones as soon as you're able."

We went to sleep almost as soon as we arrived in the room and I dreamt a strange dream that night. I seen a tall tree that dwarfed all the other trees in size. The giant tree then erupted into flame as a great shadow stretched across the whole earth and then darkness. I then heard Cresselia speaking to me in my sleep.

 _"Drake, can you hear my voice?"_

"Yes, Cresselia, what's wrong? What was that tree?"

 _"That tree is the holy domain of Yggdrasil, where Xerneas resides."_

"Xerneas?"

 _"The legendary Pokémon that bestows life. Currently, she is protected by the four Stones of Life, but someone has broken in and is attempting to destroy the Stones."_

"Do they seek to harm Xerneas?"

 _"I don't know, but we must assume so. Without Xerneas, no more life can be born on the planet."_

"Xerneas is the root of life?"

 _"Yes, in a way. She tends to Yggdrasil, the tree of life."_

"Who would be so heartless as to go after the tree!?"

 _"I have a feeling that you already know who it is."_

"...! Pyroar!"

 _"Yes, I am currently at Yggdrasil as we speak trying to keep him away from the stones, but I won't be able to stop him for long. I must ask for your help."_

"I'll gladly help. Where is Yggdrasil at?"

 _"Ask your guildmasters. They'll be able to point you the right way."_

"Okay, you have my word, we'll stop Pyroar."

 _"Good, do not delay."_

I woke up and found the sun already up and my teammates sleeping, so I woke them up.

"Five more minutes, Drake," said Fluffi, "I need more sleep."

"No time for that!" I said, "this is an emergency!"

"An emergency?" Asked Duran.

"Yes, come to the assembly area STAT," I said, "I've got to go get everyone else."

I left the room and gathered up all of the other apprentices, the guildmasters and guild members into the assembly area. When the rest of Team Dragoon joined us, I explained to them everything that Cresselia told me in my dream.

"Yggdrasil is in danger?" Asked Gardevoir.

"Yes," I said.

"From a simple Pyroar?" Asked Sanderson, "I find that hard to believe."

"I believe him," said Fluffi, "that Pyroar's strength is unreal."

"We can't sit around and talk about this all day, we must act!" I said, "Sceptile, let us know where Yggdrasil is, my team and I will stop him!"

"For Cresselia to show up to personally deal with something means that the threat is real," said Sceptile, "I will tell you its location, but you will not go alone."

"That's right," said Minun.

"Everyone here will go with you," said Gardevoir.

"Team Clandestine tried to kill you, so we were going to hunt them down, but this is more important," said Arcanine.

"Okay, here is what we'll do," said Sceptile, "Everyone will split up into three groups of four with Gardevoir and I forming our own group of two and Team Dragoon travelling together."

"That leaves two Pokémon out," said Victini, "what will they be doing?"

"The other two will become drifters," said Sceptile, "helping wherever they are needed."

"Mienshao and I will be the drifters," said Blissey, "I'll help wherever healing is needed."

"And I'm super effective against a Normal type like Pyroar," said Mienshao, "so I'll help whoever runs across him."

"Also, if you see anyone fighting Pyroar, help them out without hesitation," said Sceptile.

We all agreed, locked up the guild and departed for Yggdrasil. Sceptile and Gardevoir led us to a giant tree that was actually not that far from the guild. The tree was so big that I actually thought the trunk was a cliff whenever I seen it. We climbed up one of the tree's massive roots and stopped at the base of its trunk. Sceptile then turned around and addressed us.

"This is the guild's most closely guarded secret," said Sceptile, "under no circumstances are you to tell anyone about it."

We all agreed and for secrecy's sake, I cannot tell you exactly what Gardevoir did, but she opened a passage into the tree itself and we all walked in. At the end of the seemingly endless passage we seen a lush, green paradise. It was like we stepped into a whole new world. Grass and water everywhere we looked. Who would've guessed that this tree was hollow inside? There were even other trees inside this one. Even Pokémon lived here, quite literally, all life you could think of was in here.

"Unreal," said Sally, "this is all inside of a tree?"

"I could see myself spending a few decades in here," said Victini.

"I admit it's beautiful, but remember why we're here," said Dragonair.

"Pyroar...," I said.

"There are multiple paths to take," said Arcanine, "and he could be on any of them."

"There are a few paths that lead up," said Duran, "if I were a gambling man, I'd say Xerneas is at

the very top."

"Okay then," said Gardevoir, "since Drake was personally asked to help out, Team Dragoon will pick their path first and then the rest of us will choose other available paths as we see fit."

"First," said Sceptile, "those of you who aren't drifters should choose your groups."

The Guild members and apprentices divided into four groups. Group 1 comprised of Beautifly, Victini, Plusle and Sally. Group 2 comprised of Sanderson, Dragonair, Elena and Rand. Group 3 comprised of Arcanine, Ariel, Rose and Stoutland. Group 4 comprised of Kevin, Sapphire, Minun and Banzai. The Guildmasters, Sceptile and Gardevoir, formed their own group and Blissey and Mienshao were drifters.

Everyone grouped up and we chose the most direct route up that we could, a series of stone blocks along the side of the hollow that seemed to form a sort of spiral staircase. We followed the staircase up as high as it would go and found ourselves looking at another stone block staircase on the other side of the tree and the only thing, other than air, between us and the stairs were several stone blocks suspended in the air by tree branches. We would have to jump from block to block to get to the other side.

"Jumping," said Duran, "why'd it have to be jumping?" 

"Biased against physical exercise all of a sudden?" Asked Fluffi.

"In case you hadn't noticed, I have short, stubby legs, weigh over 100 pounds and am made of iron," said Duran, "jumping isn't exactly my forte."

"Not to worry," said Ivy, "my vines are strong, I'll help you out."

"Do so quickly," I said, "we've not a minute to lose."

It took a while, but we managed to make it across the chasm. Duran being helped by Ivy and the rest of us jumping across gaps that seemed like 12 feet across. As we were making our way up the second stairway, Ivy stopped us.

"What is it?" I asked, "we don't have time to waste."

"Look at that," said Ivy pointing at the stone block in front of her.

"Are those claw marks?" Asked Duran.

"It must be Pyroar," said Fluffi.

I knelt down to examine the claw marks.

"These claw marks are fresh," I said.

"Which means-" began Duran.

"He might be close by," said Fluffi, "be on your guard."

Just then Ariel flew up to meet us.

"Glad I found you," said Ariel.

"Aren't you supposed to be with Arcanine?" Asked Ivy.

"They sent me here," said Ariel, "we found a stone, or more rather, the ruins of one."

"What about Pyroar?" Asked Fluffi.

"No sign," said Ariel, "just be careful, he might be up there with you."

"We found his claw marks," I said, pointing them out.

"Oh dear!" Said Ariel, "he must be up here somewhere then. Beautifly's group is already up here somewhere and the guildmasters are on their way. I'll bring Mienshao up to speed and get the rest of the groups up here pronto. Good luck!"

Ariel flew away and we continued up posthaste. When we got to the top of that staircase, we seen no more staircases but rather trees that look like they've been deliberately cut down to form a path. We continued up the path for a way and then I looked over the side. I wish I hadn't because by that time we were about three miles in the air minimum. Then a sudden gust of wind threatened to knock me over the edge. It would've too if it weren't for Ivy's quick action with her Vine Whip.

"Thanks Ivy," I said, "Whew, that was almost a game over for me."

"Be more careful next time," said Ivy, "you don't have any wings anymore."

"You're never gonna let me live that down are you?" I asked.

"Nope," said Ivy.

"Still how can there be wind inside of a tree?" Asked Duran.

"Maybe Yggdrasil's big enough for it to form naturally?" Asked Fluffi.

"Well whatever," I said, "plenty of time for that later. Let's stop Pyroar first."

We continued onward and upward, fighting unbelievably strong gusts all the way up until we reached the ruins of a Stone of Life.

"Are these what remains of a Stone of Life?" Asked Ivy.

"We probably just missed Pyroar," said Duran.

"I don't think so," I said, "these wind gusts probably wouldn't slow him down at all."

"You keep talking about Pyroar as if he's unstoppable," said Duran.

"He might as well be," I said.

"Well, if he's that strong, we can't linger here," said Ivy.

"aaand they finally get it," said Fluffi.

We continued on up the path of trees until it ended and we found a lovely setting of waterfalls, rivers and Beautifly, Victini, Plusle and Sally lying hurt and beaten on the ground. So, of course, we rushed over to their aid.

"Oh, hey there," said Plusle, "guess you weren't kidding about Pyroar's strength, huh?"

"What happened?" Asked Fluffi.

"We decided to take a nap, what do you think happened?" Asked Plusle.

"Beautifly got in trouble, and then I got hurt as I was trying to help her out," said Sally.

"It was all downhill from there," said Victini.

"Ow," said Beautifly.

"Ivy, help them!" I said.

"If Blissey is on her way, then we'll be fine," said Victini.

"Don't worry about us," said Sally, "focus on Pyroar."

Just then an apparition of Cresselia appeared.

"Hurry, make your way to the top," said the Cresselia apparition.

"They need help," said Ivy.

"Blissey is already aware and on her way," said the Cresselia apparition, "my other apparitions are fighting Pyroar and losing, badly, you must join the fight, now."

"Understood," said Duran.

 _"I'm coming too."_

Mienshao caught up with us and with her in tow, we continued onward to where Pyroar waits for us. As we climbed, a Cresselia apparition flew past us and slammed against a wall, disappearing on contact. Pyroar was close. We eventually arrived to where Pyroar was just in time to see him destroy the third Stone of Life.

"Pyroar!" I yelled.

"So, you've finally come, just as I knew you would," said Pyroar.

Pyroar turned around and continued speaking, "you are nothing if not predictable."

"Pyroar, stop what you're doing right now!" Yelled Fluffi.

"And I see you brought the big mouth Buneary with you," said Pyroar.

"What did you say!?" Asked Fluffi, angrily.

"Pyroar, why are you destroying the Stones of Life?" I asked.

"Ragnarok, do you know the meaning of that word?" Asked Pyroar.

"Ragnarok is an old word referring to the end of days," said Ivy.

"Correct. The time for Ragnarok is nigh," said Pyroar.

"And what would harming Xerneas accomplish?" Asked Duran.

"Xerneas? I have no interest in that self righteous Pokémon," said Pyroar.

"You mean to tell us that you're doing all of this to stop Ragnarok?" Asked Fluffi.

"No. I mean to bring Ragnarok to pass," said Pyroar.

"What!?" I asked.

"This world is dark and corrupt," said Pyroar, "the only way to cleanse the world of all this filth is by destroying it and starting anew."

"That's not right!" Yelled Ivy.

"And your friend, Drake here, from the moment he arrived in this world, was meant to join us."

"Join you?" Asked Duran, "but Drake is a good Pokémon. He would never join you!"

"You said 'arrived in this world'," I said, "what did you mean?"

"Come on, you still don't know?" Asked Pyroar, "fine, I'll tell you. You, Drake, are a human."

"Drake's not a human, dummy, he's a Pokémon," said Fluffi, "humans are extinct."

"Why do you think he knows how to use the Etherlight?" Asked Pyroar, "a gift only humans who became Pokémon have. It manifests itself in different forms whether it be the ability to see the past or future just by touching an object or the ability to survive in the Winds of Despair, it is all the Etherlight."

We stood silent. Even though we didn't want to admit it, I suspect we all knew the truth all along.

"Drake's a human?" Asked Mienshao.

"Yes, the same as I," said Pyroar.

We all were visibly shocked at Pyroar's proclamation and then he started glowing with the same familiar glow that I have on many an occasion.

"But the time for talk is past," said Pyroar, "if you won't join me, then you're a hindrance, die."

I then called upon the Etherlight and started glowing too as we all prepared for battle.

"Fire Fang!" Yelled Pyroar as he leapt and bit me, the wound was made extra painful by the use of the Etherlight.

Fluffi fired a Charge Beam at Pyroar, but he leapt out of the way, causing Fluffi to almost hit me with the attack.

"Be more careful with that thing!" I yelled, "Flamethrower!"

The attack missed Pyroar.

"Aerial Ace!" Yelled Duran, attacking Pyroar and following the attack up with Water Pulse

Mienshao dove into the ground with Dig and Ivy narrowly missed Pyroar with Aqua Tail.

"Fire Fang!" Yelled Pyroar, biting into Duran's protective armor, partially melting it and doing considerable damage.

"Return!" Yelled Fluffi, attacking Pyroar's right shoulder.

Pyroar, retaliated to the attack by picking Fluffi up and throwing her against a wall. I ate a Quick Seed and then hit Pyroar with Dragon Claw.

"Aerial Ace!" Yelled Duran, not giving Pyroar a chance to counter.

Just then Mienshao jumped up from underground, landing a blow on Pyroar's unprotected belly.

"Aqua Tail!" Yelled Ivy, but Pyroar caught her in his mouth and then he used Fire Fang.

Ivy quickly freed herself by repeatedly hitting Pyroar's snout with Vine Whip.

"You all right?" Asked Duran.

"I'll be fine," said Ivy.

"Not for long," said Pyroar who then landed a Bounce attack on Ivy KOing her.

"Hyper Beam!" Yelled Pyroar, who then hit Duran with attack.

It's a good thing that Duran is a Rock and Steel-type because that looked like it hurt.

"Power Up Punch!"

"Dragon Claw!"

"Water Pulse!"

"Brick Break!" Yelled Mienshao

We all attacked him at once, but only my attack hit. Apparently, even though Pyroar can't attack, he can still dodge. Pyroar then started jumping and running around, waiting for the Hyper Beam cool down to finish and even though I was still hasted due to the Quick Seed, only Duran's Aerial Ace hit.

"Time to end this," said Pyroar.

Pyroar then fired a Solar Beam at Mienshao, who just barely dodged it.

"Thy sins shall be purged," said Pyroar, "Lost Seraph!"

Pyroar used his tail to slam Mienshao into a wall, then he went medieval on Duran with Fire Fangs and then launched both him and Mienshao into the air. He then hit them both with Bounce, slamming them into the ground and then finished them both off with Hyper Beam.

"You will pay," I said, "Etherlight Storm!"

I used my Etherlight to hold Pyroar in place and then unleashed a frenzy of Dragon Claws and Iron Tails on him until he seemed to be knocked out. Fluffi and I used our items to help out Duran, Ivy and Mienshao, restoring them as close to perfect health as we could.

"Thanks for the assist Mienshao," said Ivy.

"Anytime," said Mienshao, "I'll go back down to report to the guildmasters."

Mienshao went back the way we came.

"Are you happy now?" Asked Pyroar.

"Pyroar? You're all right?" I asked.

"Yes, however, you were clearly superior," said Pyroar, "what are you waiting for?"

"What are you talking about?" Asked Fluffi.

"You won, I am your enemy, strike me down," said Pyroar.

"We can't do that!" Said Duran.

"Why not, it is only logical," said Pyroar.

"We are not murderers," I said.

"Drake... the Pokémon world hasn't changed you one bit," said Pyroar, "you're always doing what your heart tells you."

"You speak as if you know him from before all this," said Ivy.

"Yes," said Pyroar, "you might not remember this Drake, but in the human world you and I were friends."

"Friends? You two?" Asked Fluffi.

"Yes. We were so close that one might have said we were brothers," said Pyroar.

"So when you said that he was to join you...," said Pyroar.

"It would've happened, I arrived in this world before he did and I was sent to retrieve him," said Pyroar, "but I didn't count on two things."

"Which was?" I asked.

"As I approached your crash site, I found that you were already discovered by that Buneary," said Pyroar, "I was mere moments too late. The second thing was that I didn't count on you losing your memory."

"You knew about that?" Asked Fluffi.

"Yes. When humans come to this world, we must give up some part of us that defined us as human," said Pyroar, "Drake gave up his memory, as you know."

"What about you?" Asked Duran.

"I gave up-," began Pyroar.

Pyroar then cried in pain as something sliced into his back.

 _"I think that's enough out of the kitty cat wouldn't you?"_

"That voice!" said Duran, eyes growing wide.

Froslass then materialized before us.

"If you won't kill him, then I will!" Said Froslass, but as she took a swing at Pyroar, I jumped in her way.

"This is interesting, defending the one who tried to kill you, that's cute," said Froslass.

"Froslass! I haven't forgiven you from before!" Yelled Duran.

"Do I look like I care?" Asked Froslass, "at least Pyroar should feel better about being taken out by another human."

"Human?" Asked Ivy.

"Yes, same as Pyroar and your friend here," said Froslass, "in fact, Pyroar and I are in cahoots."

"Pyroar is this true?" Asked Fluffi.

"I didn't pick my allies," said Pyroar.

"I'd love to kill all of you right now, but I have a priority mission," said Froslass, "one Stone of Life remains."

Froslass then disappeared.

"Sadistic jerk," said Ivy.

"Pyroar...," I said.

"I'll be fine," said Pyroar, "it will take more than a scratch to do me in. Go after Froslass."

"Right," I said, "let's hurry."

Along the way, Sceptile and Gardevoir caught up to us.

"Guildmasters!" Said Fluffi.

"We seen what happened to Pyroar," said Sceptile, "what happened to him? He just told us to hurry after you."

"Froslass shown up!" Spat Duran.

"We've got to catch her!" I said.

"Fine, you can explain everything on the way," said Gardevoir, "Let's go!"

We continued onward following a trail that looked to be made of colossal Ariados webs, chasing after Froslass. We arrived just in time to see Froslass appear in front of the last Stone of Life.

"Froslass!" Duran yelled.

"You are too late," said Froslass, who then destroyed the last Stone of Life.

"NO!" Yelled Gardevoir.

"Now all of mistress Mismagius's plans will come to fruition," said Froslass.

"Who?" Asked Ivy.

"I've stalled for long enough," said Froslass, "time for my favorite part, killing all of you, slowly."

Froslass threw a Shadow Ball at Sceptile, but he nimbly dodged it and then slammed Froslass with Iron Tail all in one swift motion. I was so amazed by Sceptile's swift movements and power that I actually forgot what I was doing there.

"Shadow Ball!" Yelled Fluffi, breaking me out of my trance and barely missing Froslass's head.

"Heavy Slam!" Duran yelled, hitting Froslass and doing considerable damage due to the weight difference and due to the attack being supper effective.

"Shadow Claw!" I yelled, attacking Froslass when Duran had launched her toward me, doing a lot of damage (with a little help from the Etherlight).

Gardevoir then used her Psychic powers to hold Froslass in the air before firing a Shadow Ball and Ivy using Iron Tail on her.

"Fighting Team Dragoon is bad enough, but I can't win against those two as well," said Froslass, angrily, "guess it's time to fight dirty! Icicle Skewer!"

Froslass used Blizzard to blind us and then she submerged me in a bubble of water made from Water Pulse.

"Ice Shard!" Yelled Froslass, who then threw a very sharp icicle, aimed straight at me, and I couldn't dodge. Then, the Blizzard faded, the Water Pulse dried up and I seen that Pyroar was back and his Etherlight-filled claw was buried deeply in her chest.

"Cursed kitten!" Yelled Froslass, "Die in peace!"

Froslass then disappeared, obviously hurt from Pyroar's attack.

"Pyroar?" Asked Fluffi.

"Something's wrong," said Gardevoir.

True to Gardevoir's word, Pyroar fell over and I seen that there was an icicle deeply embedded in his chest. Pyroar had took the attack intended for me.

"Pyroar," I said, "why did you do that?"

"I don't really know myself," said Pyroar, "I gave my emotions up when I became a Pokémon.

That was illogical."

"Your emotions?" Asked Fluffi.

"Yes," said Pyroar, "that is how I could do any mission with ease, because my heart wouldn't interfere with my following orders and why I couldn't stand people like you who blindly follow their hearts."

"Ragnarok," said Duran, "was that something you were ordered to do?"

"Yes. I never questioned my orders, never once," said Pyroar, "now I know that I was wrong. Drake, stop that witch, Mismagius."

"Pyroar...," I said.

"She does not care about this world," said Pyroar, "she only seeks to rule it and Froslass is her puppet."

"I am a healer," said Ivy, "I can fix this!"

"Me too," said Blissey, who just now joined us along with everyone else.

"No, that won't help me now," said Pyroar.

Just then Pyroar started disappearing into orbs of light.

"Pyroar?" I asked.

"It's okay," said Pyroar, "when we humans die in this world, we merely go back to our own world, as we don't belong here to begin with."

Sceptile then tapped the other members of my team on the shoulders and led them away so it was just me and Pyroar left there.

"Don't be sad," said Pyroar, "you'll join me back in the human world eventually."

"What?" I asked.

"When you complete your job, you will be sent back where you belong," said Pyroar, "I think your friends here will be more sad when that happens than you are now."

"I guess...," I said.

"I feel like I'm regaining what I had lost," said Pyroar.

"Huh?" I asked.

"I feel... happy...," said Pyroar, who then disappeared, once and for all, into the light.

I sat there, for a while crying to myself when a glow appeared in front of me and I seen Cresselia and a large, blue, chital-like Pokémon standing before me. Well, I guess Cresselia was floating, but you get the picture.

"Drake, we meet at last," said the chital Pokémon.

"Are you-," I began.

"Yes, I am Xerneas," said the chital Pokémon, "the Pokémon of life.

"Well, then why didn't you save him?" I asked, "why didn't you save Pyroar?"

"He did not wish to be saved," said Xerneas, "he wanted to go back home. If he wished to be spared, I would've done so without hesitation."

"Pyroar...," I said, "he said that I was brought here for a purpose, was it to defeat Mismagius?"

"Yes," said Cresselia, "that and the power that she hopes to control. She seeks to control a power that she does not understand."

"The legendary dragon Giratina," said Xerneas.

"What do the Stones of Life have to do with Giratina?" I asked.

"The Stones of Life not only serve to protect me from damage, but they also regulate reality," said Xerneas.

"Giratina exists in a realm known as the Distortion World," said Cresselia.

"The Distortion World?" I asked, "I've never heard of that place."

"The Distortion World is the exact polar opposite of this world," said Xerneas, "if the two worlds were to be linked together, it would mean the total destruction of this world as we know it."

"And this is what Mismagius plots to do?" I asked, "how do you know all of this?"

"Mismagius dreams about it quite often," said Cresselia, "and once I found out, I immediately informed Xerneas and then once I found you, Xerneas pulled you into this world."

"You see, we needed a human," said Xerneas.

"Why?" I asked.

"No Pokémon from this world can survive in the Distortion World," said Xerneas, "the atmosphere is the exact opposite of what's here, meaning there is not enough oxygen to support life."

"And how does that not affect me?" I asked.

"Humans are not from this world," said Cresselia, "so they do not follow the same laws. Like the Etherlight for instance."

"So are you ready to see this through to the end?" Asked Xerneas, "if you're fast enough, you may not even have to deal with Giratina."

"I'm ready," I said, "but where is Mismagius?"

"The pieces are already in place," said Cresselia, "the location will find you."

"Uhh...," I said.

"Don't worry, Cresselia likes talking cryptic," said Xerneas, "go to the guild, a couple friends you made are waiting there for you."

"Before he... Pyroar said that once my task is complete, I won't be able to remain here," I said,

"is that true?"

"It is," said Cresselia.

I looked away for a moment and then turned to walk away.

"I don't have much time left," I said, "I'll make Mismagius pay for all the suffering she's caused."

I walked all the way down to the entrance of the tree, where everyone was waiting.

"You all right?" Asked Fluffi.

"Yeah," I said, "but our job is not over yet. Xerneas spoke to me and told me that there are a couple friends of ours waiting for us at the guild."

"You go on ahead," said Sceptile, "the rest of us will remain here and make sure that Froslass doesn't come back."

"Explain everything on the way," said Ivy.

As we walked to the guild I explained everything that Cresselia and Xerneas told me about Mismagius and what she plots to do with Giratina. I left out the parts about me having to go back to the human world when this was all over. It didn't seem right to cause them unnecessary pain.


	13. Chapter XIII: Dark Witch Mismagius

Chapter XIII: Dark Witch Mismagius

We walked to the locked down entrance to the guild and seen a couple of familiar faces at the gate.

"Ninetails? Furfrou?" Asked Duran.

"Hello," said Ninetails, "any particular reason why the guild is closed?"

"Something came up," I said.

"What are you two doing here?" Asked Fluffi.

"We cut through the interference," said Furfrou, "we now know where the energy from the Accursed Ones are going to."

"Which means that that's probably where we'll find Mismagius," said Ivy.

"Who's that?" Asked Furfrou.

"Long story," I said.

"Well anyway," said Ninetails, "we've got the Entercards prepped for you if you want to go there."

"You can get us to the island with the Entercards?" Asked Duran.

"Not exactly," said Furfrou, "we tried, but the power of darkness is too great to form a Magnagate there, but we can, however, get you close to it."

"You'll have to travel trough a Mystery Dungeon to get there, though," said Ninetails.

"It will have to do," said Fluffi, "let's go."

We hurried to the cottage and Ninetails summoned the Magnagate for us.

"Do you want us to come too?" Asked Furfrou.

Fluffi started to speak, but I cut her off.

"No. Where we're going, there's no guarantee you'll come back alive," I said, "leave it to us."

The rest of my team looked surprised that I turned down their help, but none them voiced any complaints.

"Well, that is your decision," said Furfrou.

"Come back to us, safe and sound," said Ninetails.

"Don't worry, we will," I said, trying to put on my most convincing smile, even though I knew I wouldn't be keeping that promise.

We stepped to the Magnagate and were whisked away to what looked like the ruins of an ancient city, spread out over the arpeggio that we appeared on, connected by bridges. We deduced that we were now in the arpeggio known as the Angel's Tears.

"Okay, where is Mismagius?" Asked Duran.

"I'm guessing, over there," I said, pointing at a large mass of dark energy, swirling around an island on the horizon.

"Let's go," I said and then started walking toward the clouds.

Everyone followed me, I could feel them staring at me, but I didn't care as my gaze was continually fixed on the swirling clouds of darkness. After a little walking, we ended up at the entrance to the swirling clouds and a Mystery Dungeon.

"I kept walking until I heard Fluffi behind me, "Drake!"

I turned around and noticed that Zoroark, Malamar and Honchkrow from Team Clandestine had grabbed Fluffi, Ivy and Duran respectively.

"You guys again!" I said.

 _"Just like you said, they are easy to sneak up on."_

I turned and seen a Pokémon walk out of the dark clouds.

"Mistress Mawile, we finally caught them!" Said Zoroark.

"Yes, I can see that, you hopeless ice-brain!" Snapped Mawile.

"Mawile?" Asked Malamar.

"Don't forget, it was you three who let them go to begin with!" Said Mawile.

"But they fled into the Deadlands!" Said Honchkrow.

"That is no excuse to give up the chase!" Said Mawile, "You should've gone in after them!"

"But we thought that-," began Zoroark.

"They would die there?" Asked Mawile, "well, you were obviously wrong! Kill them now and maybe I'll let you off the hook."

Fluffi, Ivy and Duran then broke free of their captors.

"We don't have time for this!" I said, "Team Dragoon, attack formation: Divide and Conquer!"

We divided up and prepared for battle, Fluffi took Zoroark, Duran took Honchkrow and Ivy took Malamar, I was left with Mawile.

"I seriously don't know how my minions could have so much trouble defeating four Pokémon who haven't evolved yet," Said Mawile.

"See for yourself," I said, "Flamethrower!"

Mawile dodged my attack.

"Good going, I almost felt that," said Mawile, mocking me, "Play Rough!"

The attack hit me easily. We then exchanged a few attacks with one another, I was using Iron Tail and Shadow Claw and Mawile was using Iron Head and Stone Edge. We then rushed past each other, Mawile using Iron Head and I was using Iron Tail, like you see in action films a lot. I suffered gut pain and Mawile was KO'd.

It turns out that everyone had beaten their respective Team Clandestine member at around the same time. So, we hurried into the Mystery Dungeon, the Dark Labyrinth before they could wake up.

The Dark Labyrinth sure lived up to its name as we got lost numerous times. Somehow, we managed to make our way down a few floors and were about to go down another floor when we heard that hated voice.

 _"Well, well, I bet you're proud of yourselves aren't you?"_

We looked up to see Froslass atop a nearby cliff.

"Froslass, we don't have time to mess with you," I said.

"Speak for yourself," said Duran, "I am going to enjoy kicking her butt."

"You're not going to pass," said Froslass, "Mismagius has had enough of your interference. Plus,

I was robbed of my chance to kill you by that wretched Pyroar! I'll enjoy watching you squirm!"

Froslass made a move to attack us, but as she did, she doubled over in pain.

"I still hurt from where that traitorous Pyroar slashed me," Froslass said to herself.

"Are you okay?" Asked Ivy.

"Don't patronize me!" Yelled Froslass, "I'll just have to kill you quickly!"

Froslass fired a Shadow Ball at Ivy, who dodged it. Ivy then used Iron Tail, I used Dragon Claw, Fluffi used Charge Beam and Duran used Water Pulse, all of which hit her quite easily.

"Froslass, are you sure you're all right?" Asked Fluffi.

"I am your enemy! Don't worry about me!" Yelled Froslass.

Froslass hit Fluffi with a combined Water Pulse and Blizzard attack.

"Fluffi, are you alright?" Asked Ivy.

"Yes," said Fluffi, "Her attacks didn't hurt at all."

"Enough of this!" I said.

I then hit Froslass with a 2 Shadow Claw and 1 Iron Tail combo.

"Blizzard!" Yelled Froslass.

Froslass whipped up a blinding Blizzard, but when the attack was finished, she was gone.

"Enough interruptions," I said, "let's go."

"Wait," said Fluffi, grabbing my arm.

"Let me go," I said.

"Drake, shut up and listen," said Fluffi.

I turned around and faced her.

"You've been different since Yggdrasil," said Fluffi, "what's wrong.

"You have been unusually serious and distant," said Ivy.

"Pyroar's... death just affected me, that's all," I said.

"Something else is bothering you," said Fluffi, "and it's something you want to keep secret from us. We know that face, Drake. Something is troubling you."

"You look like someone who is waiting for their execution," said Duran.

Fluffi shot a foul look at Duran.

"What? He does," said Duran.

"Right now, I'm just really focused on what we must do," I said, "something else is troubling me, but I'll tell you what after we are done here."

"Do you promise?" Asked Ivy.

"Yes," I said. In truth I wasn't sure if I'd even be able to keep that promise.

"Well, no time to lose," I said, "we have to stop Mismagius yesterday."

We advanced a few more floors before the scenery changed. We now stood in what looked like a necromancer's lair, only it was entirely made of dark crystal. We then seen a Pokémon hovering in the middle of the chamber, with its back turned to us. This must be Mismagius. She sure looked like a witch, at least from the back. On a raised platform in front of her was a swirling orb of dark energy.

"Mismagius!" I yelled.

"Ah, the meddlers have arrived," said Mismagius.

Mismagius then turned around to face us.

"Froslass must've been too weak after all," said Mismagius, "that pawn has outlived her usefulness to me."

"Mismagius, why did you have Froslass gather all those souls?" Asked Duran.

"Look, behind me," said Mismagius, "I am only a few souls short, but this orb will, in time, become the portal to the Distortion World!"

"You'd risk the world for what?" Asked Fluffi, "power?"

"No," said Mismagius, "I will absorb Giratina's power into myself and become a goddess! The only one that this world will need!"

"You do not understand what you're tampering with!" Said Ivy.

"I understand all I need to," said Mismagius, "and if the world is destroyed due to this, then so be it."

"And you use humans like Froslass for your sick plans?" I asked.

"Froslass is just a delusional child," said Mismagius, "I convinced her that she was a human, but she is, in fact, a Pokémon."

"What?" Asked Duran.

"And the fool thought she was actually giving up her humanity," said Mismagius, "how can someone lose what they never had to begin with?"

"You lied to her?" I asked.

"Oh like you've never done that," said Mismagius, "my portal is in need of a few souls, so you'll have to do!"

Mismagius launched a Shadow Ball at us, but we managed to dodge.

"Shadow Ball!" Yelled Fluffi, but Mismagius dodged her attack easily.

Ivy grabbed onto Mismagius with Vine Whip and then hit her with Leaf Blade.

"Shadow Claw!"

"Heavy Slam!"

We both landed our attacks as Ivy was still holding Mismagius in one place.

"Let go of me! Mystical Fire!" Yelled Mismagius, grilling Ivy with the attack, "Power Gem!"

Mismagius slammed me with that last attack.

"Charge Beam!" Yelled Fluffi, barely hitting Mismagius with the attack.

"Iron Tail!" Ivy and I yelled in unison, slamming Mismagius to the ground.

"Aerial Ace!"

Duran landed his attack before Mismagius could even hope to get off the ground.

"Dazzling Gleam!" Yelled Mismagius, blinding everyone but Fluffi.

"Shadow Ball!" Yelled Fluffi, bowling Mismagius over, and causing our blindness to wear off.

"This is taking way too long," said Mismagius.

Froslass then appeared again and grabbed Fluffi with Psychic, suspending her in the air, while Froslass herself was floating only a few feet off the ground.

"Mistress Mismagius!" Said Froslass, "take this Pokémon's soul now and complete the portal!"

Mismagius used her powers to rip a torch from the ground and turned the spiky part toward where Fluffi and Froslass were.

"No! Mismagius, stop it right now!" I yelled.

Ivy, Duran and I then leapt into action, seeking to attack Mismagius and put an end to this.

"Do not interfere, pathetic worms!" Yelled Mismagius, "Dazzling Gleam!"

Mismagius blinded the three of us again and then drove the torch not only through Fluffi, but Froslass as well.

"Aaaagh!" Yelled Fluffi and Froslass in pain.

"Mistress Mismagius... why...?" Asked Froslass.

"You served me well as a puppet, but now I no longer need you," said Mismagius, "but don't worry, your soul will serve me well as I become the most powerful being ever! Stronger even than Mewtwo."

"Fluffi!" Yelled Ivy.

"Mismagius, you are an even bigger monster than Froslass!" Yelled Duran.

"Flattery will not save you!" Said Mismagius, "speaking of which..."

Mismagius fired a Mystical Fire at Froslass and Fluffi, causing them to turn into pure energy that was then transferred directly to the dark orb.

"Fluffi, NO!" I yelled.

"Quit your crying and welcome your new liege!" Said Mismagius, "lost souls, gathered together in agony, open the portal that will lead me to the Distortion World!"

The orb then shattered and the dark energies inside rushed forward and ripped a hole in the space-time continuum, forming a portal to a world, completely unlike any we'd seen before, one devoid of all life and shrouded in darkness.

"Behold the Distortion World!" said Mismagius, "look upon the fate of your precious planet!"


	14. Chapter XIV: The World of Distortion

Chapter XIV: The World of Distortion

Froslass then appeared again and grabbed Fluffi with Psychic, suspending her in the air, while Froslass herself was floating only a few feet off the ground.

"Mistress Mismagius!" Said Froslass, "take this Pokémon's soul now and complete the portal!"

Mismagius used her powers to rip a torch from the ground and turned the spiky part toward where Fluffi and Froslass were.

"No! Mismagius, stop it right now!" I yelled.

Ivy, Duran and I then leapt into action, seeking to attack Mismagius and put an end to this.

"Do not interfere, pathetic worms!" Yelled Mismagius, "Dazzling Gleam!"

Mismagius blinded the three of us again and then drove the torch not only through Fluffi, but Froslass as well.

"Aaaagh!" Yelled Fluffi and Froslass in pain.

"Mistress Mismagius... why...?" Asked Froslass.

"You served me well as a puppet, but now I no longer need you," said Mismagius, "but don't worry, your soul will serve me well as I become the most powerful being ever! Stronger even than Mewtwo."

"Fluffi!" Yelled Ivy.

"Mismagius, you are an even bigger monster than Froslass!" Yelled Duran.

"Flattery will not save you!" Said Mismagius, "speaking of which..."

Mismagius fired a Mystical Fire at Froslass and Fluffi, causing them to turn into pure energy that was then transferred directly to the dark orb.

"Fluffi, NO!" I yelled.

"Quit your crying and welcome your new liege!" Said Mismagius, "lost souls, gathered together in agony, open the portal that will lead me to the Distortion World!"

The orb then shattered and the dark energies inside rushed forward and ripped a hole in the space-time continuum, forming a portal to a world, completely unlike any we'd seen before, one devoid of all life and shrouded in darkness.

"Behold the Distortion World!" said Mismagius, "look upon the fate of your precious planet!"

"You sacrificed the souls of Fluffi and everyone on Steadfast Island for THIS!?" I asked.

"Not only them," said Mismagius, "but countless others as well."

"Mismagius, for everything you have done here-," I said as I started to glow with the Etherlight.

"-for all the lives you have taken... YOU SHALL PAY THE ULTIMATE PRICE!" I yelled.

The Etherlight glowed all around me and I evolved again, but somehow I felt much stronger than when I did in the Deadlands.

"Drake just Mega Evolved...," said Ivy in shock, "he is now a Mega Charizard X!"

"Mega what?" Asked Duran.

"This power," said Mismagius with a look of horror on her face, "no Pokémon should have this kind of power!"

"You mistake me," I said, "you assume that I am a Pokémon!"

I then grabbed Mismagius and threw her into a wall. I then took her by the throat and slammed her into the ground. Next, I did a few pile drivers and then looked at her pained body in the crater I just made for her.

"You must be... but Pyroar said a long time ago that he'd killed you!" Said Mismagius.

"Pyroar lied," I said and then picked her off the ground and slammed her to the ground in front of her portal.

"I must do this now," said Mismagius, "Giratina! Channel your power to me at my command that I may rule all!"

A large mass of dark energy spilled forth from the portal and hit Mismagius with all the force of a stampeding Tyranitar, throwing her against the chamber's farthest wall. Mismagius then started fading away.

"But Giratina, why?" Asked Mismagius.

"I told you before," said Ivy, "you had no idea what power you were tampering with."

Mismagius then faded away.

"Then, it's over and Fluffi is-," began Duran.

"Giratina remains," I said, "this world will turn to darkness if it remains."

"We know, and you must do this alone," said Duran.

"Yes," I said, "you two... cannot survive there."

"As you've said before," said Ivy, "but Drake, if you see Fluffi in there-"

"Don't worry," I said, "I'll bring her back."

I stepped through the portal and found myself inside the Distortion World. I quickly discovered why this world was called the Distortion World and not the Dark World or something like that. The world looked exactly like the Pokémon world except everything looked warped and distorted and a voice kept screaming in the back of my head to get out of there pronto. I discarded that voice as soon as I could. I had a job to do and I wasn't about to leave until it was done. I tried out my new set of wings and flew around everywhere I could, trying to find Giratina.

I heard a familiar shriek out in the distance. Then, a fiery bird flew toward me from somewhere over the horizon and hovered in the air in front of me.

"Feuervogel!? No wait, it can't be," I said.

It definitely looked like her, but she seemed to be made of pure darkness. Darkness in the shape of an Accursed One. Is this where defeated Accursed Ones go?

"I am the source of what you refer to as 'hate'," said Dark Feuervogel.

"What's this?" I asked.

"I am Feuervogel, a Dark Herald," said Dark Feuervogel.

"Dark Herald?" I asked.

"Let your fear and anger flow, they shall be what fuels my rebirth!" Said Dark Feuervogel.

"Rebirth, huh? Add that to the list of things I have to stop," I said.

Dark Feuervogel used Heat Wave, which I dodged.

"I don't have time for this!" I said, "Dragon Claw!"

I tried to use Dragon Claw, but instead, my mouth opened and I used Dragon Pulse, scoring a hit on Dark Feuervogel.

"When did I learn that?" I asked, "guess I should take some time out to learn this new body."

Dark Feuervogel flew after me and used Ancient Power. However, I spun around and avoided that attack. I used Dragon Pulse again, but missed this time.

"Hurricane!" Yelled Dark Feuervogel.

Dark Feuervogel whipped up a tempestuous wind that I was having a hard time coping with.

"Solar Beam!" Yelled Dark Feuervogel, firing a beam that hit me square in the chest.

"Let's try this again! Dragon Pulse!" I yelled, firing another attack at the Dark Herald, hitting her.

The attack caused the hurricane force winds to die down and allowed me to regain control of my flying.

"I shall burn you to ash!" Yelled Dark Feuervogel, "Flare Tempest!"

Dark Feuervogel then used Hurricane again and then used Heat Wave to turn the wind gusts into fire. When the attack was finished, I flew over to her and grabbed Dark Feuervogel, and used a point blank Dragon Pulse, blasting her into a nearby building and causing her to fade back into darkness.

"What in the world is going on here?" I asked myself and then I continued on.

After I took some time out to learn what my new moves were, I flew into what looked to be a canyon of some sort. As I was flying, a figure jumped from the canyon wall and landed in front of me. It looked like Ippotis, the Accursed One from Steadfast Island, but a shadowy form just like Feuervogel.

"I am the source of what you refer to as 'hate', I am Ippotis, a Dark Herald," said Dark Ippotis, "Let your fear and anger flow, they shall be what fuels my rebirth!"

"Another one?" I asked, "great, this means that all the Accursed Ones are here."

"Sacred Sword!" Yelled Dark Ippotis.

A sword made of pure energy grew out of Dark Ippotis's head and then he charged at me. I met his attack halfway with Brick Break and then hit him with Bulldoze.

"Iron Head!" Yelled Dark Ippotis, but I dodged that attack.

"Bulldoze!" I yelled, but Dark Ippotis countered with Protect.

"Fallen Crest!" Yelled Dark Ippotis.

Dark Ippotis hit me with Sacred Sword then, he used Aerial Ace, but I caught him by the throat.

"You may have reappeared here," I said, "but you're still as weak as ever, Blast Burn!"

I blasted Dark Ippotis with Blast Burn and then he also disappeared into darkness.

"I've wasted enough time here," I said, resuming my search for Giratina.

As I emerged from the canyon, I was almost hit by a random Iron Tail.

"Who did that?" I asked.

I soon got the answer to the question.

"I am the source of what you refer to as 'hate', I am Drachen, a Dark Herald," said Dark Drachen, "Let your fear and anger flow, they shall be what fuels my rebirth!"

"None of you are going to get reborn, okay!?" I asked out of frustration.

Dark Drachen tried to hit me with another Iron Tail, but I dodged and used Brick Break, which he let hit him. This allowed Dark Drachen to hit me with Ice Beam, point blank.

"Draco Meteor!" Dark Drachen yelled after flying a few yards away, and summoned a bunch of asteroids, which I had to fly around in order to avoid being hit.

As I did this, I flew closer to Dark Drachen and hit him with Dragon Pulse. This got him mad and he chased after me, having to dodge his own attack. I used the momentum from flying through the falling asteroids to land a few more Dragon Pulses on him. Then, somehow, as the Draco Meteor attack ended, he grabbed a hold of me.

"Crystal Breath!" Dark Drachen yelled into my ear.

Dark Drachen then slammed me into the ground with Sky Drop and then fired an Ice Beam at me, but I flipped myself around and fired a Dragon Pulse, stopping the Ice Beam in its tracks and then I hit Dark Drachen with Blast Burn. Finally with that attack, Dark Drachen was defeated and I continued on.

I flew on and eventually arrived at a sea, then something emerged from the sea and flew over to where I was. I knew that it was a Dark Herald.

"I am the source of what you refer to as 'hate', I am Cecidissent, a Dark Herald," said Dark Cecidissent, "Let your fear and anger flow, they shall be what fuels my rebirth!"

"At least one good thing come from fighting you," I said, "just two more of you and I won't have to listen to your canned dialogue any longer!"

"Steel Wing!" Yelled Dark Cecidissent.

"This is getting really old," I said.

I flew behind Dark Cecidissent and grabbed her wings. I then pummeled her with Dragon Pulses until she too was defeated. I then ate an Oran Berry and drank a Max Elixir.

"Only Death remains," I said and then flew off to resume my search.

As I went on searching, I was hit by an unexpected Rock Slide.

"I am the source of what you refer to as 'hate', I am Death, a Dark Herald," said Dark Death, "Let your fear and anger flow, they shall be what fuels my rebirth!"

"You really don't remember what happened last time, do you?" I asked, "well, time for a reminder."

Long story short, I hit him with a few Brick Breaks, ate an Encourage Seed and then finished him with Blast Burn, I then healed up with an Oran Berry. Finally I resumed my search, walking this time to conserve my energy for the fight with Giratina.

"Let's see.. Feuervogel, Ippotis, Drachen, Cecidissent and now Death," I said, "that's all the Accursed Ones, I should be close to Giratina."

 _"You'd like to think that wouldn't you?"_

I looked up and I seen a fiery dragon standing on top of a tall building.

"Are you Giratina?" I asked.

"Giratina? Don't be absurd," said the dragon.

The dragon then flew down from the building and landed in front of me. I seen now that he was made of the same darkness that the Dark Heralds were.

"Don't tell me that you're unfamiliar with your own reflection," said the dragon, "that's right, I am you."

"But, I'm not an Accursed One!" I said.

"No, but I am you, or more rather what you could be," said Dark Drake.

"What?" I asked.

"Geez, you really are slow," said Dark Drake, "I am a clone of you that Giratina created from dark matter. However, unlike you, I've cast away any and all 'friends' and in return I have gained power unlike any you have seen before!"

"Cast them... away?" I asked.

"I have a message from the big G," said Dark Drake, "join him and forget about your friends and you will be made a general in his army."

"I refuse," I said, "I came here to save the world and a friend of mine!"

"I thought you might say that, you really are weak," said Dark Drake, "and the boss said that in that case, I should destroy you!"

Dark Drake used Blast Burn, but I dodged it, somehow, and then I hit him with Bulldoze and then Brick Break. Dark Drake then used his own, dark, version of the Etherlight to speed up his attacks, trying to hit me with a barrage of Hyper Beams and Giga Impacts.

"His attacks, they all have a recharge time," I thought to myself, "hey, maybe I can use that."

Dark Drake then surprised me by hitting me with Outrage and then getting confused.

"Idiot," I said.

Then, I went medieval on Dark Drake, hitting him with Bulldoze and Dragon Pulse until he too was defeated.

"Enough of this," I said.

I then flew up and landed on the tallest building I could find.

"GIRATINA!" I yelled, "GET YOUR BIG, COWARDLY BUTT OUT HERE THIS ISNTANT AND FACE ME! I GUESS YOU ARE REALLY AS BIG A CHICKEN AS I HAD HEARD!"

Giratina did appear this time (In Origin Form, of course) and hovered in the air in front of me. This is probably the part where Fluffi would write me off as dead and wait- what am I doing here again?

"Care to take that back now, you cur?" Asked Giratina.

A female? Wasn't expecting that.

"No, I'd rather take that time to kick you to the curb," I said.

I was really digging it deeper now.

"That version of you that I'd made might've been fake, but my offer still stands," said Giratina,

"join me, and you'll be head of my new army."

"No," I said, "I'm very stubborn, and I've made up my mind. Prepare to suffer defeat!"

"Very well," said Giratina.

Giratina then used Iron Tail, which I dodged, but the building didn't. It was reduced to rubble.

"Dragon Pulse!"

I then hit Giratina with the attack, but she shrugged of the hit as if she didn't even feel it and hit me with Iron Tail, causing me to crash through a building.

"She's much tougher than the Accursed Ones," I said.

As I said this, I almost didn't notice the Aura Sphere flying at me. I managed to dodge it just in time.

"Blast Burn!" I yelled

The attack hit Giratina as well, but it was about as useful as the Dragon Pulse was. Giratina, then hit me with Iron Tail and then cut into my flesh using her tendrils, powered up by Shadow Claw.

"What irony," I said, "came to the Pokémon world in a crater and now I'm going to die in the same way."

 _"Don't give up!"_

"What was that?" I asked.

 _"Don't give up! Defeat Giratina!"_

Somehow I could hear the voices of Duran, Ivy, Cresselia, Xerneas and everyone in the guild.

"Guys," I said.

 _"Don't give up! Defeat Giratina!"_

"I cannot lose here!" I said, "everyone's counting on me!"

 _"Don't give up! Defeat Giratina!"_

The Etherlight flared up and I fired another Dragon Pulse at Giratina, but unlike the other attacks, this one hurt her.

"Insolent worm!" Yelled Giratina, "Breath of Calamity!"

Giratina fired a Dragon Pulse at me and at the same time extended her tendrils and tried to hit me with Shadow Claw. I used the Etherlight to dodge all of the attacks and hit her with another Dragon Pulse.

I then flew up and hovered in the air parallel to Giratina and about a mile away from her.

"Time to die!" Yelled Giratina, "Dragon Pulse!"

"Dragon Pulse!" I yelled and met Giratina's attack with my own.

Our attacks clashed and we were locked in a power struggle, with what I suspected would end in death for the loser. Needless to say I was worn out, but listening to everyone's voices somehow gave me the strength I needed to fight on.

 _"Drake!"_

That voice, it couldn't be, Fluffi?

 _"Drake!"_

Pyroar, too?

Then, two apparitions appeared to either side of me, Fluffi to the left and Pyroar to the right.

Fluffi? Pyroar? It can't be!

"Drake, we must finish Giratina now!" Said Fluffi.

"Let us help," said Pyroar, "only together may Giratina be defeated!"

You guys...," I said in my mind, but somehow those words were broadcast loud enough for even Giratina to hear "you're right, let's do it!

"QUIT TALKING TO YOURSELF AND DIE!" Yelled Giratina, who then added more of her power into the Dragon Pulse.

"I DON'T THINK SO!" I yelled.

I then put all of my power into the Dragon Pulse.

"CHARGE BEAM!" Yelled Fluffi, producing the most powerful Charge Beam I've ever seen.

"HYPER BEAM!" Yelled Pyroar, producing a colossal attack.

The attacks joined together with mine and gave it even more power. Then the apparitions hovered closer together and entered into my body.

"Fluffi... Pyroar... I can feel your power."

Then, using my newly acquired power, I pumped everything I had into the attack and it easily overcame what little resistance Giratina's own Dragon Pulse provided and utterly destroyed Giratina.

I then quickly flew through the portal I came through to enter the Distortion World and after almost trampling Duran to death, I turned around and used the Etherlight to collapse the portal, thereby saving the Pokémon world.

"A little warning next time there, Drake!" Said Duran.

"Sorry," I said.

"Why didn't you close that portal before?" Asked Ivy.

"I didn't know I could," I said.

"Fair enough," said Ivy.

Then, the entire Mystery Dungeon started shaking and breaking apart.

"Not to point out the Donphan in the room," said Duran, "but this place is shaking!"

"Climb on!" I yelled, bending down to allow them to do so.

When they were both on I told them to hold on tight and started flying out of the Dark Labyrinth as fast as I could. Duran and Ivy were using their moves to keep us safe from falling debris and I was using my moves to blast holes in walls where they were needed. We quickly made our way out of there and I landed on the island where we entered from the Magnagate and then the Dark Labyrinth exploded. Luckily, we got out of there in time.

"That was way too close for comfort," said Duran as he and Ivy got off of me.

No sooner had they dismounted than I had turned back to normal.

"I'll never get used to that," said Duran.

"So where's Fluffi?" Asked Ivy, "did you find her?"

I remained silent and then after a long period of uncomfortable silence, Xerneas and Cresselia had appeared.

"So, has Giratina-?" Began Cresselia.

"It's over, we won," I said.

"Giratina is still alive," said Xerneas.

"Oh come on!" I said, "I gave her all I had and she still alive!?"

"Yes, but only just," said Xerneas, "it will take many years, but she'll regain her power. Only, you've prevented her from interfering in this world again."

"But, Xerneas, Cresselia, Fluffi-," I began.

"We are aware," said Cresselia, "we've been talking it over and we've got a little surprise for you."

Xerneas changed into Active Mode and glowed brightly, then she formed an orb of pure light in front of us. The orb soon started changing shape, turning into something organic. This continued until the light faded and Fluffi stood in front of us. She then started checking herself for injuries.

"Well, that one definition for heartburn I'll never forget," said Fluffi.

Then Duran, Ivy and I embraced her and she looked all confused.

"Um, what's going on?" Said Fluffi.

"Do you not remember?" I asked.

"Remember what?" Asked Fluffi, "I was stabbed and then I lost conscious, I guess, and next thing I know, I'm here."

"You were sacrificed," said Duran.

"WHAT!? Don't joke about that, Duran!" Said Fluffi.

"It happened!" Said Ivy, "and then Drake Mega Evolved and charged into the Distortion World to save you!"

"He did what!?" Asked Fluffi.

"When you, well... died, I kind of lost it," I said.

"It was like I fell asleep," said Fluffi, "and then I had a dream that I was fighting Giratina along with you and Pyroar."

"That did happen," I said.

A single gold orb of light escaped from my body and floated toward heaven.

"What was that light?" Asked Fluffi.

"Sorry, Fluffi, Duran, Ivy, I would explain it to you, but it appears I'm out of time," I said,

"Xerneas and Cresselia will have to explain that one."

"What do you mean out of time?" Asked Ivy.

"It's time for me to go back, to the human world," I said.

"What? It can't be true!" Said Duran.

More lights escaped from me and floated away.

"Pyroar told me that when my job was done I'd go back," I said, "what was bugging me before all this... I went on this last adventure knowing it would be my last."

"This... This can't be how it ends!" Said Fluffi, tears welling up in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, but there is no other way," I said.

The lights were escaping a lot more frequently now.

"You could've told us this!" Said Duran, who also had watery eyes.

"What would've changed?" I asked, "we still had to do this and you would all be moping instead of just me. This was a cross I had to bear on my own."

"But I don't want you to go!" Said Ivy who was fully crying now.

"I don't want to go either," I said, "but I have to."

"Waah!" Cried Fluffi.

"Fluffi, Duran, Ivy, I am glad I had the chance to meet you all and I will always cherish the memories I have made here," I said, "good bye!"

The orbs were constantly appearing now.

"These are my... last wishes," I said, "be strong and protect the world. And if I have to come

back here, you're going to regret it!"

Fluffi, Duran and Ivy were crying too hard to respond.

"Well, see you," I said, "I'll never forget you."

My whole body started floating up in the air, fading away, but Fluffi quickly grabbed hold on my arm.

"Drake, Don't go!" Cried Fluffi.

"Even though it was a short time, it feels like I've known you forever," I said, "good bye and take care."

Then I disappeared into the light and next thing I knew, I woke up on my back in my bed in the human world. I then rolled over onto my stomach and cried into my pillow.


	15. Chapter XV: A Wish for Redemption

Chapter XV: A Wish for Redemption

It has been about seven months since I fought Giratina, how the time flies. I have regained all my memories from my time in the human world, plus I've retained all the memories from the Pokémon world. I work at the local supermarket, Super Sweet Savings, which only pays slightly above minimum wage, but hey, it pays for the rent on my apartment. Apparently, even though it seemed to be a long time in the Pokémon world, I was absent for only a few days in the human world. I had taken sick days for the days I have been absent, so it all worked out, after my boss spent about an hour yelling at me over the phone. I guess being named I. M. Strict is a way of life not just a name.

As for Pyroar, well, I guess he's not Pyroar anymore, he works just outside of town at the local nature preserve as a park ranger. That job really came as a shock to me. Also, now, I cannot stop seeing Ursarings when I look at bears or Sawsbucks when I see deer. Pyroar's actually kind of a little firebrand when he's on the job. I just suppose that fits him. Pyroar and I talk every day after work and then we each go to our own apartments to retire for the day and then prepare for another day of work.

I am a stocker at the supermarket. Today, I was taking a cart full of groceries to the shelves, stocking them and helping customers find what they're looking for as I always do. I was lost in a daydream about the Pokémon world, which has become a common occurrence for me while on the job. It was kind of like I left a piece of myself back there. I was dwelling upon this when I almost ran into Sarah Blakeley, a Co-Worker of mine.

"Hey! Watch where you're going," said Sarah.

"Sorry, Sarah," I said, "just lost in thought. It doesn't help that management changed where we stock the peanut butter."

"Isle 14," said Sarah.

"Thanks," I said.

"Ever since you took those sick days a while back, you've been different," said Sarah.

"How so?" I asked.

"I'm not sure, you just seem more distant to me," said Sarah.

It's true, before I went to the Pokémon world, Sarah and I, well, we were friends. Not as close as Pyroar and I, but friends all the same. In fact right before I took my trip, I was even thinking about asking her out on a date. But now, whenever I look at her, I see Ivy and, if I didn't know any better, I would mistake her for Ivy. I now try to avoid her as nicely as possible, not because I don't like her, but because it is too soon for me.

"I think that ailment affected me on the neurological level," I said, "let's talk about this later, if 'the dictator' finds us talking..."

'The dictator' was our little nickname for our boss.

"Right, I'll let you get back to it," said Sarah.

I finished stocking the shelves and hung out in the docking bay, waiting for the next truck to arrive. It was a big supermarket that stocked virtually everything, so multiple trucks arrive every day. The next truck was delivering breakfast foods, this month they were selling like, well, hotcakes. The only other person in the docking bay right now was Tim, who worked in produce, but he was slacking off back here for some reason.

 _"Drake."_

"Cresselia?" I asked.

It was definitely Cresselia's voice that spoke to me. Of course, she knew my human name, but I insisted that she call me Drake.

 _"Close your eyes, now."_

Cresselia would often appear to me in my dreams and give me news from the Pokémon world and occasionally show me, through a dream, what my teammates were doing right at that moment.

"Cress-a-what-a?" Asked Tim, "have you finally lost it, boy?"

"No," I told him, "I just didn't get enough sleep last night. I'm going to splash some water in my eyes."

I left Tim there and went down into the employee restroom by the utility room. Because of its out of the way location, no one ever used it, except for the maintenance guys when there was something to fix. I locked myself inside one of the stalls, sat on the toilet and closed my eyes. Cresselia appeared before me in my dream.

"Cresselia, what is so important that you have to contact me while I'm working?" I asked.

"Sorry, but this is important and I think you should see it," said Cresselia.

"Okay," I said, "show it to me."

A dream appeared before me. I was in the mess hall of the guild, sitting in my old chair next to Fluffi and across the table from Duran and Ivy. It must be dinner time right now. I have learned from past dreams that my old teammates kept that seat open, hoping that one day I might return and fill that seat once again, though they knew that it was impossible.

"Are you sure that something like that could work?" Asked Fluffi, "I mean a wish?"

"It sounds pretty unbelievable, but I believe the stories," said Ivy.

"So we're putting our faith in stories, now?" Asked Duran.

"Well, do either of you have any better ideas?" Asked Ivy.

"I sure don't," said Fluffi.

"I want to see Drake again too, but does Jirachi really exist?" Asked Duran.

"I don't know," said Ivy, "but Gardevoir does and that's good enough for me."

"Well, it's a stretch but if the stories are false, we can always try something-," began Fluffi.

Fluffi, Duran and Ivy stopped talking and looked right at me, well, right at the chair I suppose.

They held their gaze until Duran spoke.

"Did anyone else feel that?" Asked Duran.

"I sure did," said Fluffi.

"This sense of familiarity," said Ivy, "it feels like Drake's in that chair once again, doesn't it?"

"It does," said Duran.

Could it be that they sense what I'm dreaming about?

"So anyway... we're all clear on the plan?" Asked Ivy.

After a couple of nods, Sceptile noticed that Fluffi, Duran and Ivy were staring at me and walked over to them. The dream then ended and I was once again with Cresselia.

"What was all of that?" I asked, "I've never heard of any Jirachi."

"Jirachi is a legendary Pokémon," said Cresselia, "she's usually asleep, but once every thousand years she wakes up and will grant 7 wishes to whoever she sees fit before going back to sleep."

"Any wish?" I asked.

"Yes, and she's about to wake up," said Cresselia.

"That's... wow," I said.

"Your friends seek to use Jirachi's powers to bring you back there," said Cresselia, "I wanted to know your thoughts on the matter so that I may relay them to your team."

I thought about everything that had transpired. It is true that I felt more at home in the Pokémon world than here but..

"What about my memory?" I asked, "If I reappear there, wouldn't I lose my memory again?"

"No. Jirachi's powers can get around that unfortunate drawback to bringing a human into this world," said Cresselia.

"One thing Cresselia," I said, "will you allow me to speak to them before they make their wish? I want to see if my suspicions prove correct."

"I think I know what you have planned," said Cresselia, "but I won't bother trying to read your mind to find out if I'm correct. I'll do my best to deliver upon your wishes."

"Right," I said, "try to stall them as long as you can over there. I'll contact you when I'm ready."

"I'll try," said Cresselia.

I woke up and then finished up with my work. I then got in my car and drove all the way down to the nature preserve and sat on the park bench I always did to wait for Pyroar to get done with his shift.

"Hey, Pyroar," I said.

"Why must you keep calling me that?" Asked the man who used to be Pyroar, "we're not in the Pokémon world anymore, call me by my human name."

"Oh do you mean...?" I asked.

"Don't you even-!"

"Awww, no need to get your panties in a bunch, Lady. What, is the Tramp not around?"

"Why is it that the first thing you remember about me is the name that I despise?"

"Too bad, friends always remember the good stuff."

"Well, get it right already, the name is Ledah."

"I prefer Lady," I said.

"Well, stop already, or I'll call you by _your_ nickname," said Ledah.

We sat around and continued talking and laughing for a good while.

"Ledah, I know this is sudden, but do you want to go back to the Pokémon world?" I asked.

"What? Where did that come from?" Asked Ledah.

"Well, Cresselia spoke to me today and-"

I sat with Ledah, telling him about what Cresselia had told me. Of course, I told him that I had occasionally spoken to Cresselia in my sleep and even told him some of my dreams, but this was different. I answered Ledah's questions to the best of my ability and by the time we were done, three hours had passed since I got there.

"Truth be told, I've heard about Jirachi before," said Ledah, "but as it didn't have anything to do with Yggdrasil, I didn't concern myself with it."

"Well, what is your answer?" I asked.

"I've done things I'm not proud of over there, do you think your team would even think about wishing me back?"

"Yes. After all, you redeemed yourself in the end."

"Did I really?"

"Ledah..."

"I owe a debt to that world. I want to go back, if only to pay back that debt."

"Let's do it."

"What do we have to do?"

"All I've got to do is contact Cresselia. You just observe."

"Okay," said Ledah, "But, follow me, let's take this somewhere people won't see us disappear."

"Agreed," I said.

Ledah led me to a secluded part of the nature preserve where, he claimed, you must know exactly where we were in order to find us. I then attempted to contact Cresselia with my mind.

 _"Drake, is that you? Everyone's getting impatient."_

I didn't think that they would move this quick.

"Sorry, is Jirachi awake?" I asked.

 _"Yes and impatient."_

"I understand, let me speak to everyone," I said.

 _"Everything is ready, speak to them whenever you wish."_

"Hello?" I asked, "can everyone hear me?"

 _"Drake?"_ Asked Duran.

 _"Drake, it really is you!"_ Said Fluffi.

 _"Cresselia told us to hold off on our wish, what's up?"_ Asked Ivy.

"I want to go back there and everything, that's true. It's boring over here," I said, "but I have a friend that wants in on it too."

 _"A friend?"_ Asked Fluffi.

"Go on and speak to them," I told Ledah.

"Hello again," said Ledah.

 _"WHAT!? PYROAR!?"_ Asked Duran.

"Don't be alarmed," said Ledah, "I know all I've done was wrong and I seek to redeem myself to you all and the Pokémon world, but I cannot do that over here.

 _"I have no arguments against it,"_ said Ivy.

 _"Nor I,"_ said Duran, _"what do you think Fluffi? You're the leader."_

"You made that Buneary your leader?" Asked Ledah.

 _"Yeah, pretty much regretted it from day 1,"_ said Duran.

 _"Hey!"_ Said Fluffi.

 _"I'm just messing with you,"_ said Duran.

"Well, Fluffi?" I asked.

 _"Sure he can come back, but if you keep that up Duran, I'll send you into the human world!"_ Said Fluffi.

 _"I'm sorry, okay?"_ Asked Duran.

"Well, Jirachi, we're ready over here whenever you are," I said.

 _"Okay, mystical power of stars shining bright, grant their wish!"_

Within an instant we were teleported to a place I was unfamiliar with. It was a cave, but the walls and ceiling were covered with white quartz, it literally looked like the night sky. I looked at my hands. They were replaced by orange claws, I was a Charmander again and back in the Pokémon world. I looked up and noticed everyone looking at me as if they'd seen a ghost.

"Um, hi?" I asked.

Then my teammates rushed me and locked me in a suffocating group hug.

"Drake, is it really you?" Asked Fluffi.

"Choking," I said.

"I didn't think it would work!" Said Duran.

"Not breathing," I said.

"Drake, welcome back!" Said Ivy.

"Air, air, I need air!" I said.

"Hey! Stop hugging him! You're suffocating him!" Panicked Cresselia.

"She's right, let him go!" Said Jirachi, "I'm not bringing him back if you kill him!"

Everyone released me and I knelt on the ground gasping for breath. I think this is the second time someone saved me from being choked to death.

"Sorry," said Fluffi.

"I'm not," said Duran.

"So, this is your team, huh?" Asked Pyroar.

"Yeah," I said, "beggars can't be choosers."

"Hey, what do you mean by that?" Asked Ivy.

"Drake, you and Pyroar have human names, right?" Asked Duran "What should we call you by?"

"Just call us by our Pokémon names," I said.

"Okay, but will you at least tell us what they are?"

"Mine is Ledah," said Pyroar, "but keep calling me Pyroar."

"My name is-," I began.

"Sorry to stop you there," said Jirachi, "but I need payment for my services."

"Payment?" Asked Ivy, "but no one informed us of any payment."

"Like you have room to talk," I said.

"I don't want your money," said Jirachi.

"Then, what?" Asked Duran.

"I want to fight Drake," said Jirachi.

"Why me?" I asked.

"Cresselia and your friends told me how you fought and beat Giratina and that made me want to test my own power against you," said Jirachi, "plus, you probably need some exercise to get used to that body again."

"You're probably right about that," I said, "very well, I accept."

"No one interfere," said Pyroar, "the only one who can end this is Drake."

Everyone agreed and I prepared to fight Jirachi.

I slashed Jirachi with Dragon Claw, but she didn't take very much damage from it.

"Oh... crap, you're a Steel-type aren't you?" I asked.

"Yep," said Jirachi, who then hit me with Zen Headbutt, "and a Psychic-type."

"One turn and already a mistake?" Asked Ivy.

"Well, Drake's kind of-," began Pyroar.

"Hey! I can hear you!" I said.

"Forget about them," said Jirachi, "and concentrate."

"Oh, sorry," I said.

I tried hitting Jirachi with a few Iron Tails, but none of them hit and Jirachi tried to hit me with a easily avoidable Iron Head. Finally, I stopped playing around and hit her with Shadow Claw.

"You were waiting for me to drop my guard, weren't you?" Asked Jirachi.

"Yes," I said.

"That was all an act, you are already used to that body, aren't you?" Asked Jirachi.

"I may be a little rusty from taking several months off, but yes, I am," I said.

"Then, let's both stop holding back," said Jirachi.

"Agreed," I said.

"Water Pulse!" Jirachi yelled, launching an attack that my tail's flame barely managed to dodge.

"That was close!" I said, "Shadow Claw!"

I missed Jirachi with the attack.

"Dazzling Gleam!" Jirachi yelled, blinding me with a flash, "Water Pulse!"

The attack easily hit me, getting me all wet.

I then surprised Jirachi by firing a Flamethrower immediately afterward.

"Stop, this battle is over," said Jirachi.

"What? I just got started!" I said.

"Yeah, and then you would've won," said Jirachi, "the goal was not to win or lose, but to see for myself your power."

"From where I was standing, you looked evenly matched," said Duran.

"Drake won," said Cresselia.

"I know about the Etherlight," said Jirachi, "Drake would've destroyed me if he would've used it."

"Yeah, but still, I would've enjoyed a full fight," I said.

"So would I," said Jirachi, "but now's not the time."

"Then it's settled," said Fluffi, "you two will have a rematch at a later date."

"We'd better get back to the guild," said Ivy.

"I bet Mienshao will die of a heart attack," said Duran.

"Mienshao, really?" I asked, "I doubt my return would faze someone like her."

"I doubt it," said Ivy, "she been kind of depressed since you've been gone."

"Speaking of calm and collected," said Fluffi, "what about you Pyroar? What are you going to do now?"

"I've been thinking about that," said Pyroar, "I owe a debt to the planet and more locally, all of you, so, would it be all right if I joined Team Dragoon?"

This question came as a shock to all of us, even Cresselia. This was honestly the last thing I thought that he would say.

"Well, what do you think, Drake?" Asked Duran.

"Why are you asking me?" I asked.

"He's your friend," said Ivy.

"Plus, you're back, so you're the leader again," said Fluffi.

"I thought you were the leader!" I said.

"Where did you hear that?" Asked Fluffi, "never mind, that was only temporary, you're leader again!"

"Why must these things always be thrust upon me?" I asked.

"Well, what is your decision?" Asked Duran.

"We'll support whatever you decide," said Ivy.

I turned to Pyroar and said, "welcome aboard, as of today, you're officially a member of Team Dragoon."

"Thanks, Drake," said Pyroar.

"Could I join too?" Asked Jirachi.

"Jirachi?" I asked.

"I only wake up once every thousand years, so best make the most of my time, right?" Said Jirachi, "but don't abuse my powers, all right?"

"Then, you're welcome too," I said, "and don't worry, I'll make sure that they don't abuse them."

"Why do I get the feeling that we've just made a monster?" Asked Duran.


	16. Chapter XVI: Final Exam

Chapter XVI: Final Exam

We all slept in the Team's room that night and then Fluffi and Ivy woke us all up early.

"Do you have any idea what time it is?" Yawned Jirachi.

"Sorry for the early wake up call, but Ivy and I were talking," said Fluffi.

"We have a plan," said Ivy.

We listened to the plan and we all agreed to do it, that or everyone was too tired to argue. Fluffi, Ivy and Duran attended the morning address that day, but the rest of us hid while Sceptile addressed the apprentices.

"Well, it's the dawn of a new day," said Sceptile.

Sally sighed.

"What's the problem?" Asked Banzai.

"It just doesn't feel the same without Drake here," said Sally.

"Kind of feels a little lonely around here, doesn't it?" Asked Rand.

"There's nothing we can do about that, Drake _had_ to go back to his own world," said Elena.

"Nothing will ever fill the void," said Ariel.

Jirachi leaned over and whispered into my ear, "Now?"

"Soon, but not yet," I whispered.

"The best thing we can do right now is continue to protect this world," said Fluffi.

"That was his... last wish," said Ivy.

"Did someone say wish?" Whispered Jirachi.

"You don't need to wave your magic wand right now," whispered Pyroar.

"That was my cue," I whispered.

I walked into the assembly area and stood a few yards away from everyone else.

"Hello, did I miss anything?" I asked, doing my best impression of Axel from the Kingdom Hearts franchise.

Everyone looked at me and stared as if they were Miltanks and I was an oncoming train.

"What, do I got something on my face?" I asked, still doing my impression of Axel, "it's me, you know, Drake."

Everyone's eyes grew wide, well, except for Duran, Ivy and Fluffi and I was suddenly tackled by everyone. I was getting crowded and everyone was asking me questions at the same time. I feared that was going to start suffocating again. As if to answer my silent fears, everyone was pushed away by an unseen force.

"Give the man some room to breathe," said Gardevoir.

"Are you real?" Asked Kevin.

"I hope so," I said, still doing my impression of Axel, "that would be a real bummer if I wasn't."

We all laughed.

"I promise to answer all of your questions, but everyone can't talk at once," I said.

"Okay, I'll start with the most important question," said Sanderson, "How'd you get back here? I thought you couldn't stay in this world."

"You may blame her for that," I said and then pointed at where I was hiding, then Jirachi flew around the corner to meet everyone.

"Hi! I'm Jirachi," said Jirachi.

"Okay, same question to you," said Sanderson.

"I have the power to grant wishes," said Jirachi, "I brought him here with my power. Him and another human."

"Who's that?" Asked Victini.

Pyroar then emerged from hiding.

"PYROAR!?" Yelled out everyone in surprise.

"Calm down, I'm not that person anymore," said Pyroar.

"I can understand Drake, but who made the wish to bring _you_ back?" Asked Sapphire.

"Look behind you," said Pyroar.

Everyone turned around and looked at Fluffi, Duran and Ivy, who busted out laughing.

"Why are you laughing?" Asked Kevin.

"Those faces are priceless," laughed Fluffi.

"Why didn't you tell us about this?" Asked Elena.

"This way was a lot more fun," said Ivy.

"Gardevoir and Sceptile gave us the idea," said Duran.

Now the apprentices were looking at the Guildmasters, who were smirking.

"You two were in on it?" Asked Sally.

"Yep, you could call us the grand architects," said Sceptile.

"I just felt like messing with you all," said Gardevoir.

"That's messed up," said Banzai.

We all laughed at the apprentices, who had the best shocked looks ever.

"You ready for another surprise?" I asked.

"I'm not sure my heart can stand another," said Rand.

"Pyroar and Jirachi have joined Team Dragoon," I said.

"WHAT!?" Yelled out everyone else in surprise.

"This is just too much for one day," said Sally.

"It's about to get even worse for you then," said Gardevoir.

"Not another surprise," said Sapphire.

"Due to Team Dragoon saving the world and all, Gardevoir and I have decided to let them take the final exam for graduation from the guild," said Sceptile.

"WHAT!?" Everyone yelled out again in surprise.

"You can graduate from here?!" I asked.

"But Guildmasters, they're the newest apprentices, why do they get to take the test first?" Asked Rose.

"They saved the world, so they deserve a shot," said Gardevoir, "We don't do these exams in order of seniority."

"I hate exams," I said.

"You and me both," said Duran.

"This isn't a school exam," said Gardevoir, "your entire team will fight against your fellow apprentices here."

"A battle? Now?" Asked Jirachi.

"No. It will be held in a week from today at the Flaybell Coliseum at noon," said Sceptile, "that gives you time to train and strategize. You and your colleagues."

"We will not be giving any of you assigned jobs to do during this time," said Gardevoir, "you may still do posted jobs, but you are not required to do so."

"What if we fail?" Asked Duran.

"Nothing changes for you," said Sceptile.

"If we win?" Asked Fluffi.

"You will no longer be living here or have to follow our rules and you will be recognized as an independent team," said Sceptile, "but you will still have to give us our 10% dues on completion of jobs due to you still being an affiliated team."

"But that doesn't change much," said Ivy.

"Independent teams get better jobs, better clients and a higher reward for completed jobs," said Gardevoir.

"I'm sold," said Fluffi.

"Starting now you are all to train for the coming exam," said Sceptile, "dismissed."

We decided right away that we would go to see Furfrou and Ninetails and ask them if they could recommend a good training spot for us to use. Jirachi and Pyroar had no clue who they were, so, they didn't have anything to say on the matter. Then as we made our way to the cottage, we got trapped inside an energy cage.

"What? Who did this!?" I asked.

"Prepare for trouble, Think of us as an overpowered Mantine."

"And make it double, without you around this has become way too routine."

"To protect the world from devastation."

"To unite all peoples within our nation."

"To denounce the evils of truth and love."

"To extend our reach to the stars above."

"Jesse."

"James."

"Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light."

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight, fight and fight."

"Meowth, that's right!"

"Wobbuffet!"

"Team Rocket?" I asked, "you're still stalking us?"

"I'm not even going to ask," said Jirachi.

"Looks like they've regained their lost twerp," said Jesse.

"And added two more," said James.

"Interesting device, a metal box that's producing a cage," said Pyroar, "what is that box made of anyway?"

"If you must know it is a super strong metal alloy that is completely resistant to any weak attacks you twerps can dish out," said Meowth.

"Wobbuffet!"

Pyroar fired a single Hyper Beam at the box, causing it to explode and release us from the cage.

"That twerp knows Hyper Beam...," said Meowth, "didn't expect that."

"All right Meowth, get in there," said Jesse.

"What are you, crazy!?" Asked Meowth, "I'll get creamed!"

"How come that Wobbuffet can only say it's name?" Asked Jirachi.

"Well... huh? Why does he?" Asked Jesse.

"Wobbuffet!"

"We're on a schedule here," I said, "Team Dragoon, attack the buffoons!"

"What did you call us?!" Asked James.

"Wobbuffet!"

"I'm pretty sure that wasn't it," said Jesse.

"Wobbuffet!"

Ivy knocked James aside with Vine Whip and then hit Meowth with Leaf Blade. I then threw Wobbuffet and then hit him with Shadow Claw.

"Fury Swipes!" Yelled Meowth, scratching Jirachi, but to no avail.

"Thanks for that, that spot was getting so itchy," said Jirachi, "Water Pulse!"

"Why am I getting singled out today?" Asked Meowth who was then hit and KO'd by the attack.

James dug into the ground with Dig.

"Aerial Ace!" Yelled Duran.

Duran tried hitting Wobbuffet with the attack, but Wobbuffet used Counter, making Duran get hit by his own attack. Fluffi was going to use Return on Wobbuffet, but when he started using Counter again, she suddenly shifted stance and used Shadow Ball on Wobbuffet, KOing him.

"Flamethrower!" Yelled Jesse, summoning up flames from the twig she usually keeps in her tail.

The Flamethrower was aimed at Ivy, but Pyroar took the hit and then used Bounce, just in time to avoid being hit by James's Dig attack.

"Solar Beam!" Pyroar yelled from the air, KOing James.

"James!" Yelled Jesse, "uh oh, I'm in trouble aren't I?"

"Yep," said Fluffi, who then used Charge Beam, forming a Team Rocket pile.

"Will you do the honors Drake?" Asked Fluffi.

"Gladly," I said, "Flamethrower!"

The attack caused Team Rocket to blast off.

"Our reunion was cut short!" Said James.

"Why does this always happen to us!?" Asked Jesse.

"Maybe it's because you insist on getting in the fanfic hero's way!" Said Meowth.

"Wobbuffet!"

"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!"

*Twinkle*

"Those four are idiots," said Pyroar.

"How often do you have to deal with them?" Asked Jirachi.

"About once every one or two weeks," said Fluffi.

"They need a hobby," said Jirachi.

We eventually made it to the cottage where Furfrou and Ninetails live. They were surprised to see me again, to say the least. We eventually explained the situation to them and they agreed to help us train. They suggested that we train at Mt. Mistral, which we did for the full seven days until, at last, the day of the exam had arrived.

We were holed up in a room just outside the arena of Flaybell Coliseum. It was just our team in there, apparently the other apprentices had their own room. We had to remain in there until they were ready to start. We could hear that chatter of many Pokémon, sounded like there is quite a big crowd out there.

"So... if we fail out there, the whole world will see it," said Duran.

"Pretty much," said Ivy.

"Have faith," said Jirachi, "I'm sure we can win."

"It will be tough," said Fluffi, "healing items are forbidden."

"They outnumber us," I said, "but if we keep to the strategy, I'm sure we won't have anything to

worry about."

"That depends," said Pyroar, "if circumstances change, we will have to adapt."

 _"That you will."_

We turned toward the door we entered to get into the room and seen Furfrou and Ninetails.

"What are you doing here?" Asked Jirachi, "this room is reserved for us."

"We came to wish you luck," said Furfrou.

"We'll be watching the battle, so do your best," said Ninetails.

"Thanks, we will," said Fluffi.

 _"Everyone settle down!"_

"Sounds like they're ready to start," said Pyroar.

"We'd better get going," I said.

"Best of luck to you," said Furfrou.

"Thanks," said Duran.

We walked out of the room and then walked down a long hallway and then stopped at the portcullis that led into the arena. I could see Victini's face looking through the portcullis on the other end of the arena.

"Welcome one and all to the graduation exam of the team that recently saved the world, Team Dragoon! I am your master of ceremonies, Octillery!"

"An Octillery as the MC?" I asked, "why isn't Sceptile or Gardevoir doing it?"

"Without further ado, may I present the apprentices of Sceptile and Gardevoir's guild!" Said Octillery.

The other portcullis opened and our fellow apprentices walked out into the arena to the crowd's applause.

"Now, may I present the team that prevented the world from becoming a dark wasteland, Team Dragoon!" Said Octillery.

Our portcullis opened and I led the team out into the arena to the cheers of the crowd. I seen the guild members sitting all around the coliseum, in specially designated areas. Out of the crowd, I could pick out Kecleon, Furfrou, Ninetails and even Xerneas and Cresselia? Why are they here? I then noticed, that there was a Pokémon I've never seen before in a specially made box in the stands.

"Now may I present our special guest, Queen Florges!" Said Octillery.

The Pokémon in the box stood up.

"Best of luck to all of you, I expect to see a good, clean fight," said Queen Florges, who then sat back down.

"I didn't know there was a queen," I whispered to Fluffi.

"Her palace is at the north of the continent," whispered Fluffi, "we've never been around there."

"Now a word from Sceptile and Gardevoir, the masters of the guild!" Said Octillery.

"Thank you Octillery," said Gardevoir.

"The rules are as follows," said Sceptile, "this match will consist of a ten on six battle to determine Team Dragoon's eligibility for graduation. The match will be single elimination and you win if all the opposing Pokémon have been KO'd. In the case of a draw, a coin toss will determine the winner. All healing items are forbidden and will result in a disqualification for the offending Pokémon. If any Pokémon on either team kills another Pokémon, their entire team will be disqualified."

"If any Pokémon disappears for more than five seconds from use of Teleport or otherwise," said Gardevoir, who cast an evil look in Cresselia and Xerneas's direction, "it will count as a forfeit."

"Well, enough of the spiel," said Sceptile, "everyone take your positions."

We did as instructed.

"Octillery, do the honors," said Gardevoir.

"3... 2... 1... fight!" Yelled Octillery.

Fluffi acted before anyone else could react and landed a Power-Up Punch right on Banzai's jaw.

"Whoa, easy there, Hoss," said Jirachi.

Ivy then grabbed Sally with Vine Whip and threw her.

"Iron Tail!" Yelled Banzai, but Fluffi dodged at the last moment, causing Banzai's tail to get stuck in the ground.

"Nice move there, grace," said Fluffi, mockingly.

"Shut up!" Said Banzai, struggling to get his tail free.

"Water Pulse!" Duran yelled.

Duran almost hit Rand with the attack, but then he used Aerial Ace, landing a hit.

"Flamethrower!" I yelled, seriously burning Rose, hey that sounds like a song.

Ariel hit Ivy with Wing Attack.

"Dazzling Gleam!" Yelled Jirachi blinding all of our foes and several members of the audience.

Jirachi then followed up by hitting Sanderson with Zen Headbutt. All of our foes were blinded and Banzai was stuck as well, which made it easy for us to take out Banzai, Ariel, Sanderson and Sally the next round.

"Amazing, it has been two rounds and four Pokémon have already been defeated!" Said Octillery. Then, a light enveloped Ariel, Banzai, Sanderson and Sally and teleported them away from the arena.

Fluffi grabbed Sapphire's tail and then used Power-Up Punch on her as well.

"Heavy Slam!" Yelled Duran, plowing into Rand's left side.

I tried to hit Rose with Dragon Claw, but she dodged.

"Iron Head!" Yelled Jirachi, launching Sapphire into the far wall, and making a crater with a bone-crunching crash.

"Ouch, that looked like it hurt," I said wincing in the pain I felt just from looking at the crater.

"Force Palm!" Yelled Kevin, attacking Jirachi.

"Attract!" Yelled Rose, catching me off-guard as I was still looking at the crater, and infatuating me.

Victini then made a V with her fingers and then hit me with V-Create.

"Bounce!" Yelled Pyroar, leaping into the air and narrowly escaping Elena's Electro Ball.

Rand hit Duran with Poison Jab, but Ivy finished him off with a surprise Leaf Blade.

"Two more down!" Said Octillery, "Now it's six on four!" Sapphire and Rand were then teleported away from the arena as well.

Fluffi hit Elena with Shadow Ball, drawing her attention, so Duran hit Elena with Rock Slide. I was infatuated, so, of course, I couldn't attack.

"This is revenge! Zen Headbutt!" Yelled Jirachi, taking care of Kevin with one blow.

Rose used Sweet Scent, lowering our evasion and suffering even more burn damage and then Victini hit me with Psyshock.

"Flamethrower!" I yelled, knocking Rose out. Apparently the Psyshock had knocked me out of infatuation.

Pyroar then landed and hit Victini with Bounce.

"Iron Tail!" Yelled Elena, landing a punishing blow on Ivy

"Aqua Tail!" Yelled Ivy, attacking Victini.

Kevin and Rose were then teleported away.

"Return!" Yelled Fluffi, delivering a sharp blow to Elena's gut and KOing her.

Ivy, Duran and I then hit Victini with a triple Iron Tail, KOing her, at last. Finally, we won.

"That's it, Team Dragoon is victorious!" Yelled Octillery as the crowd cheered and Elena and Victini were teleported away, "now a word from Guildmaster Sceptile!"

"Well, it is done," said Sceptile, "you are now graduates of our guild, but if you would like to get rid of the dues you have to pay us for completed missions, we've got another set of opponents for you to fight."

"Tired as we are?" I asked.

"If you choose to fight them, you may use your healing items now," said Sceptile.

The decision was unanimous, we decided to fight on.

"Good choice," said Sceptile, "use your items now."

We fully healed up and prepared to fight these new foes.

"Now your new opponents...," said Sceptile.

The guild members left their boxes and jumped down into the arena.

"...will be us," said Gardevoir, who finished Sceptile's sentence.

"If you lose, you will still graduate, but you will still have to pay the dues on completed jobs," said Sceptile.

"Well, this is a shocker!" Said Octillery, "They actually accepted! Nice knowing you Team Dragoon!"

"Wait, what?" Asked Fluffi.

Arcanine caught Fluffi off-guard and used Fire Fang and then followed up with Sunny Day, turning the sunlight harsh.

"No one said start!" Said Fluffi.

"I guess we're doing this now," said Duran, who then hit Stoutland with Heavy Slam.

Pyroar hit Arcanine with Solar Beam.

"You lose first," said Fluffi to Blissey, now ignoring Arcanine, "Power-Up Punch!"

Fluffi just barely hit Blissey with her ear and Jirachi fired a Water Pulse at Blissey, but she dodged.

"Charge!" Yelled Plusle and Minun.

"Signal Beam!" Yelled Beautifly, hitting Ivy square in the chest.

"Hyper Beam!" Yelled Blissey, firing a beam of energy at Jirachi, who endured the blow.

"Don't worry, Ivy! I've got Beauti-! Whoa!" I said as Gardevoir almost took my head off with a Focus Blast.

"Hey! you almost hit me with tha-!" I began to say, but Dragonair slammed me in the ground with Aqua Tail before I could finish, "mrrghall! Gragglrgh! Mrrargh-throw-gh!"

With that last muffled word, I fired a Flamethrower straight at the ground, causing Dragonair to back off. I then fired the attack at her, but she dodged and I somehow attacked Beautifly, burning her.

"Giga Impact!" Yelled Stoutland, plowing over Duran.

Ivy painfully smacked Mienshao across the gullet with Vine Whip.

"Iron Tail!" Yelled Sceptile, narrowly missing Fluffi.

"Poison Jab!" Yelled Mienshao, but Ivy was ready for it, using her vines to assist her in dodging the attack.

"Neither side is giving an inch here!" Said Octillery.

"Wild Charge!" Yelled Arcanine, damaging Pyroar, but suffering recoil damage.

Duran hit Stoutland with Aerial Ace and then followed up with Water Pulse, confusing him.

"Solar Beam!" Yelled Pyroar, attacking Arcanine again.

"Power-Up Punch!" Yelled Fluffi.

"Iron Head!" Yelled Jirachi.

The two attacks together did a 1 - 2 combo on Blissey.

"Electro Ball!" Yelled Plusle and Minun.

"Electroweb!" Yelled Beautifly, still suffering from her burn.

All three attacks were aimed at me, so I dodged them, but I wasn't as successful with the following Shadow Ball, launched by Gardevoir. Blissey and Stoutland were recharging from the side effects of their last moves.

"Dragon Tail!" Dragonair yelled, but I managed to duck just in time.

"Why are you five attacking me? There are other Pokémon here too, you know?" I asked before I could stop myself, "Shadow Claw!"

I ran toward Beautifly using my Shadow Claw to slash apart any attack she sent my way and then KO'd her with Flamethrower at point-blank range.

"That looked like it hurt!" Said Octillery. Beautifly was then teleported away.

"Aerial Ace!" Yelled Duran, scoring another hit on Arcanine.

"Solar Beam!" Yelled Arcanine, ignoring Duran and still attacking Pyroar.

Pyroar dodged the attack easily, then he bit into Arcanine with Fire Fang and finally blasted her with Solar Beam, KOing her.

"Arcanine's down too!" Said Octillery as Arcanine was teleported away.

Fluffi and Jirachi pulled the same combo as last time on Blissey, causing damage.

"Geez, how much HP does Blissey have anyway?" Asked Jirachi.

"Double Team!" Yelled Plusle and Minun, summoning copies of themselves all over the battlefield.

Gardevoir almost hit me with Shadow Ball again and Blissey used Heal Pulse on Stoutland.

"Dragon Rush!" Yelled Dragonair, surrounding herself with energy and slamming herself into me at high speeds.

"Dragon Claw!" I yelled, ripping into her slick body and drawing blood.

Stoutland used Aerial Ace on Mienshao due to confusion.

"Leaf Blade!" Yelled Ivy, attacking the now-distracted Mienshao

"Dual Chop!" Yelled Sceptile, which Fluffi barely managed to dodge.

"Brick Break!" Yelled Mienshao, but Ivy's serpentine body was proving difficult for her to hit.

Duran used an Aerial Ace and Rock Slide combo KOing Stoutland.

"Hyper Beam!" Yelled Pyroar, nearly KOing Minun with the blast.

Fluffi landed another Power-Up Punch on Blissey but Jirachi's Zen Headbutt missed her.

"Charge!" Yelled Plusle.

"Shadow Ball!" Yelled Gardevoir, missing me with it yet again.

"Ha! Missed me!" I gloated, "Whoa! Oof!"

I tripped and fell. Then I looked back and noticed that it was Minun that made me trip with Grass Knot.

"Have a nice trip? See you next- Ahhh!" Minun had to quickly dodge to avoid my retaliatory Flamethrower.

Blissey used Heal Pulse on Mienshao and Dragonair tried to hit me with Iron Tail, but I caught the attack and slammed Dragonair to the ground.

"Dragon Claw!" I yelled, scoring a crit on Dragonair and KOing her.

Ivy grabbed Mienshao with Vine Whip and repeatedly hit her with Leaf Blade until she got KO'd as well.

"Iron Tail!" Yelled Sceptile, slamming Fluffi with his oversized tail.

"Three down this round!" Said Octillery as Stoutland, Dragonair and Mienshao were teleported away.

We then unleashed a viscous barrage of attacks and reduced the opposing team to just the guildmasters.

"Now only the guildmasters remain!" Said Octillery as Minun, Blissey and Plusle were teleported away and Sunny Day worn off.

"Sceptile, it's time to use that power," said Gardevoir.

"I agree," said Sceptile.

Gardevoir put her hand on the amulet she was wearing around her neck and Sceptile put his right arm on top of the bracer he was wearing on his left one. Both pieces of jewelry had a strange marble-like stone with an unfamiliar emblem inside it embedded in them. Funny, I'd never seen them wear those accessories before today.

"Oh crap, we're dead," said Ivy.

"What is it?" Asked Fluffi.

"Brace yourselves," warned Ivy.

"Beyond evolution!" Yelled Sceptile and Gardevoir at the same time, "Mega Evolve!"

Sceptile and Gardevoir were then wrapped in a bright light and then a little later, they emerged from the light with a cry and the symbol from the stones glowed above them before vanishing. Then Sceptile and Gardevoir stood before us, but this time as Mega Sceptile and Mega Gardevoir.

"That's Mega Evolution?" Asked Fluffi.

"Yes, and now, we lose," said Ivy.

"Drake, didn't you do that before?" Asked Duran, "do it again!"

"That was the Etherlight, not me," I said, "I can't do that on command."

"Last time was in response to Fluffi dying," said Ivy.

"And I don't plan on doing that again for quite some time," said Fluffi.

"The battle's not over yet," said Mega Sceptile.

"This is a good day to die!" Said Duran as he attacked.

Duran used Aerial Ace and landed a blow on Mega Gardevoir.

"Speak for yourself!" Said Fluffi.

Pyroar used Bounce, jumping into the air.

"Return!" Yelled Fluffi, landing a blow on Mega Sceptile.

"Iron Head!" Yelled Jirachi, headbutting Mega Gardevoir.

Mega Gardevoir hit Duran with Psychic and knocked him into Jirachi, causing both of them damage.

"Shadow Claw!" I yelled, taking advantage of the momentary drop in Gardevoir's guard, "Iron Tail!"

Ivy then used her vines to launch herself at Mega Sceptile and hit him with three consecutive Iron Tails. Mega Sceptile grabbed Fluffi's arm, threw her into the air and then hit her with Dual Chop, KOing her.

"And there goes Fluffi the Buneary!" Said Octillery as Fluffi got teleported away.

"Well, this is going smoothly," I said sarcastically.

Duran got off of Jirachi and then slammed Mega Gardevoir with Heavy Slam. Pyroar landed and hit Mega Sceptile with Bounce. Jirachi tried to use Iron Head on Mega Gardevoir again, but she caught Jirachi with Psychic and threw Jirachi at Duran, injuring them both again.

"Focus Blast!" Yelled Mega Gardevoir, who launched a sphere of energy at Duran and Jirachi ending in a KO for both of them.

tried hitting Mega Gardevoir with Shadow Claw, but she caught me and then used Draining Kiss, kissing me and draining some of my HP through my body and into hers, I was now in critical HP. Luckily, Ivy got her to release me with a few choice Iron Tails.

"Thanks Ivy," I said.

"Don't mention it," said Ivy.

Then Duran and Jirachi were teleported away.

"Be on your toes," said Pyroar, "this isn't over."

"Says the guy who hasn't taken any damage," I thought.

Then, as both sides, on opposite sides of the arena braced for the next round, the ground started shaking, violently. The crowd and frankly, me too, were starting to get real scared.

"Earthquake!" Yelled Ivy.

"What am I supposed to do!?" Said Octillery.

Mega Gardevoir used her powers to communicate with the crowd.

"Everyone remain seated and stay calm!" Said Mega Gardevoir.

It was quite apparent that she wasn't having much success, especially when a huge plume of magma erupted from the middle of the arena. I looked over at Cresselia and Xerneas, who were just a surprised as everyone else. The magma plume finally subsided and now, there was a pool of magma in the middle of the arena and something was standing in the middle of it. It looked like a giant Pokémon, one I've never seen before and the sunlight had grown bright again, but this time on its own.

"What is that thing?" Asked Fluffi, who along with Duran and Jirachi, all three bandaged up were now in the arena with us, apparently, they were teleported to an infirmary.

"What are you three doing here?" Asked Mega Sceptile, "get back to your beds!"

The Pokémon's eye met mine and then it launched a Flamethrower directly at me, but Xerneas and Cresselia jumped in front of me and used their powers to shield me from the attack.

"Groudon, what are you doing here attacking people!? Go back to your cave!" Ordered Xerneas.

"My apologies, lady Xerneas, but my orders come from higher up, that 'team' over there must die!" Said Groudon.

"I always thought you hated following orders," said Cresselia.

"Believe me, I do," said Groudon, "and once I'm done here, he's next. So, stay out of my way or you'll die too!"

Groudon fired another Flamethrower at me, but Xerneas protected me again.

"New rules!" Said Queen Florges, "the first team to beat Groudon wins! Xerneas and Cresselia will count as their own group. You may decide on the prize later and the tree defeated members of Team Dragoon will remain out of the battle."

Groudon fired a Solar Beam at us, but we all managed to dodge it, then Pyroar blasted Groudon with his own Solar Beam.

"Shadow Ball!" Yelled Mega Gardevoir.

"Weakling!" Yelled Groudon, easily deflecting the attack back at her.

"What?!" Asked Gardevoir in surprise, taking the attack.

"Moonblast!" Yelled Xerneas, firing a beam of pinkish-white energy at Groudon and scoring a critical.

"Flamethrower!" I yelled, my flames getting a boost from the bright sunlight. I never understood how that worked anyway.

"Leaf Blade!" Yelled Ivy, scoring a blow on Groudon's back.

Mega Sceptile missed Groudon with his own Leaf Blade and Cresselia healed everyone's wounds a little with Moonlight, even Fluffi, Duran and Jirachi.

"Thunder!" Yelled Groudon, summoning lightning to strike everyone fighting him, however, due to Mega Sceptile's Lightningrod Ability, he absorbed all the damage from the lightning.

Then, Groudon surrounded himself with fire. While doing so, I noticed that the sunlight got even more intense. Finally, several moments later, Groudon emerged from it. Only now, he had changed into Primal Groudon!

"What is this?" Asked Cresselia.

"I wish I could do that," said Duran.

"Precipice Blades!" Yelled Primal Groudon.

Stone spikes skewered us from beneath our feet, KOing Mega Gardevoir, Ivy and Cresselia, everyone else got severely injured and I, somehow, escaped damage.

"Hyper Beam!" Yelled Pyroar.

"Flamethrower!" I yelled.

As Pyroar and I launched our attacks, Primal Groudon blocked them with his own Flamethrower.

"Dual Chop!" Yelled Mega Sceptile.

"Horn Leech!" Yelled Xerneas.

Mega Sceptile and Xerneas repeatedly hit Primal Groudon with their attacks until it became too much for him to endure and he finally relented. Pyroar and I then pumped what remained of our energy into our attacks and hit Primal Groudon with everything we had. When the smoke had cleared, Primal Groudon looked bruised, but not even worn out in the least.

"You aren't worth my time," said Primal Groudon as he vanished into the magma much in the same way that he arrived.

"Who could it be that gave him those orders?" Xerneas asked herself, "I must go and make sure that Groudon doesn't trouble you again.

The match was over and Sceptile (now back to normal), Pyroar and I helped our KO'd and injured friends into the infirmary and then we stepped out into the hallway and started talking.

"Whew, that worn me out," I said.

"Sorry your graduation exam ended up this way," said Sceptile, "no one planned on Groudon's sudden appearance."

"What's that Pokémon's story anyway?" I asked.

"Groudon is the legendary Pokémon that created this world's continents," said Pyroar, "he is supposed to be in Magma Cave unless he is expanding the continents."

"Why did he come here after me?" I asked.

"Who knows?" Said Pyroar, "maybe Giratina recovered quicker than we all thought?" 

"Something tells me that isn't the case," I said.

"So, what happens now?" Asked Pyroar.

 _"I'll answer that."_

We looked down the hall and noticed Queen Florges hovering over toward us.

"Drake, you and your team dealt the final blow to Groudon, so you win," said Queen Florges, "I suspect the prize for winning is the same as before Groudon shown up?"

"Yes, your majesty," I said.

"Come now, no need for formalities here," said Queen Florges, "Guildmaster Sceptile, if you would."

"Very well, your team now has the 'Honors' status and is exempt from dues for completed jobs," said Sceptile, "after everyone has recovered, come by the guild and we'll give you all a proper graduation party."

"Thanks, for everything," I said.

"Don't mention it," said Sceptile.

"Go be with your friends," said Queen Florges, "When you hold the party, I'd like to attend as well, if that's all right with you, Guildmaster."

"Sure, just don't bring your entire castle," said Sceptile, "I'm not sure the guild could hold everybody."


	17. Chapter XVII: Here Comes Team Allure!

Chapter XVII: Here Comes Team Allure!

About a week later everyone had recovered from the graduation exam fiasco, everyone including our team, the other apprentices, the guild members and even Cresselia. After everyone had recovered, the guild put out a graduation party for us, food beverages and games as far as the eye could see. It turns out that the party was actually for us saving the world as well.

We actually had a big turnout, with a lot of townspeople, other exploration teams and the queen's loyal subjects attending. The queen herself even shown up and from talking with everyone else, this is not the first time that she's been at the guild. Pyroar was talking with Stoutland, Jirachi and Fluffi were filling their faces and Duran and Ivy were chasing Kevin around with wooden boards (Don't ask me why or where they got them). Queen Florges had eventually turned me aside and was talking to me.

"I want to congratulate you for beating Groudon," said Queen Florges.

"Thanks, but congratulating me wasn't necessary," I said.

"Either way, you deserve thanks, you and your team," Said Queen Florges, "and if you want to-"

"Florges, you'd better not be trying to recruit Team Dragoon," said Sceptile, walking up to where we were.

"Good evening Sceptile, blunt as usual, I see," said Queen Florges.

"Don't try to change the subject," said Sceptile, "I keep telling you that the guild's not your

private army."

"Team Dragoon isn't part of your guild anymore," said Queen Florges, "it's their decision."

"They formed that team to help Pokémon, not a mindless war," said Sceptile.

"Sceptile, quit trying to fool yourself, you can see the signs, Giratina's defeat changes nothing, a war is around the corner," said Queen Florges, "when that time comes, you may not be able to stay out of it."

"What do you mean Giratina's defeat meant nothing?" I asked.

"If anything, things seem to have gotten worse since Giratina's demise, enraged Pokémon haven't gone away and Mr. Stubborn Leaf over there would rather believe otherwise," said Queen Florges.

"It will take time for things to get better," said Sceptile.

"The same words you spake six months ago," said Queen Florges, "remember, Drake, if you want to take me up on my offer and join my army, you know where to find me."

"YOU CALL THESE PERFECT APPLES, LADDIE!?" Yelled Stoutland from across the room.

Then a loud explosion happened and smoke rose from where Pyroar was.

"Oh my Arceus!" Said Queen Florges.

Sceptile and the queen then ran over to where the smoke was rising.

"Stoutland, calm down!" I heard Gardevoir yell.

"I'LL NOT HAVE SOME BONNIE LASS TELL ME WHAT TO DO!" I heard Stoutland yell.

"Stoutland, get off of Kecleon!" I heard Fluffi yell.

"Pyroar, stop helping him!" I heard Dragonair yell.

We all finally got the three of them separated and the festivities continued until late in the night. We were allowed to sleep in our team's room for that night, but tomorrow we had to find a new place to stay. Luckily, Pyroar led us to a cave that he had stayed in often while he was working for Mismagius. It wasn't the best place to stay, but it would do until we could afford an actual team base.

Over the next month or so, we went on jobs and saved all the money we could. Too bad the Pokémon world doesn't have loans or mortgages to speak of, so we would have to pay for it all up front and out of pocket.

We woke up bright and early one day, it was around November, I think, and we headed on over to the guild to look for more jobs as per the usual, however we noticed that the guild looked a lot less busy than usual and the air smelled strange. We headed down into the assembly area to see what was up and it didn't take long to find that out. Four unfamiliar Pokémon were down there with both the apprentices and all the guild members and all the males, except for the Guildmaster, were fawning over them. Mienshao was over by herself, looking uninterested in what was happening.

"Typical, we get some ladies visiting and all the "men" lose their brains," said Mienshao.

"Mienshao, who are they and what are they doing here?" Asked Fluffi.

"I have no idea what they're doing here, but as to who they are-," began Mienshao.

 _"Honey, do you NOT know who we are?"_

We noticed that the visiting team was looking directly at us and in turn, so was everyone else.

"Well allow us to introduce ourselves."

"Here we go!"

"With style!"

"Cuteness!"

"Beauty!"

"Power!"

"Elegance!"

"Here comes Team Allure!"

When saying that last line, they did some poses that looked like they came straight from a Japanese anime, which caused our entire team to sweat drop. After all, we knew another team that liked to pose.

The four ladies walked over to us.

"I am Sylveon! I disarm foes with my irresistible cuteness!"

Sylveon winked after she said that line.

"I am Milotic, with my beauty and fan-like tail, I treat the men like saps before beating them

within an inch of their life."

All the males that were fawning over Milotic sweat dropped and had faces that read: We are idiots.

"I am Nidoqueen! With my power, I can easily tank any area and knock anything down, even reinforced concrete walls!"

"And I am the leader, Altaria! Calm and collected, I ensure all our endeavors are pulled off with style and elegance!"

"Might you be Team Dragoon?" Asked Milotic.

"Yes, we are," I said.

"We finally found them!" Said Sylveon, still winking. I'm just assuming that's something signature for her as she did it every time she spoke.

"Huh?" Asked Stoutland, "You came here for those wee bairns?"

"That's right, honey!" Said Nidoqueen.

"We've been adventuring far to the south and only recently heard of your victory over Giratina," said Altaria. 

"Just how many Pokémon did you tell our story to?" I asked Fluffi.

"Everyone I met," said Fluffi, who was sporting the silliest 'oops' face I'd ever seen.

"Okay, at least we know who the chatterbox is," said Jirachi.

"We came to proposition you!" Said Sylveon.

"Uh... what?" Asked Pyroar.

"Oh don't mind her, she's a bit of a flirt," said Milotic, "she meant to say that we have a proposition _for_ you." 

"What kind of proposition?" Asked Ivy.

"We came here to challenge you to a contest of sorts, honey," said Nidoqueen.

"To the south of here there is a Mystery Dungeon named Unown Quarry," said Altaria, "rumor has it that there is an incredibly rare stone interred in the deepest chamber."

"The one who claims the stone first is the winner," said Milotic, "and in case of a tie, we battle to see who will win."

"What are you not telling us?" Asked Duran.

"Just that it's protected by deadly traps!" Said Sylveon.

"The stakes?" Asked Fluffi.

"Just the stone, honey," said Nidoqueen.

"And if you win, we may be persuaded to let you in on a little secret," said Milotic.

"No using Magnagates either," said Altaria, "Nidoqueen will mark the location on your map."

"Here you go, honey," said Nidoqueen, circling an area on the map she swiped from my bag.

"We're leaving right now, so you'd better get moving!" said Sylveon.

Team Allure left and we followed, not wanting to wait around for the men to pick their jaws off the floor. We were a little slower getting to Unown Quarry than Team Allure, as we did not know the correct way to get there, but, to our surprise, they waited for us at the entrance to the dungeon.

"You made it!" Said Sylveon.

"Thank for waiting for us," I said.

"All in the interest of fair play," said Milotic.

"We'll go in first and you follow so that the dungeon doesn't assume that we're together," said Altaria.

"Why is it called Unown Quarry?" Asked Jirachi.

"You'll find that out on your own and soon, honey," said Nidoqueen.

Team Allure walked into Unown Quarry and after a short time, so did we. Like Nidoqueen said, we soon found out why it was called Unown Quarry, it was overflowing with Unown! There were traps everywhere and there were some that we couldn't get through unless we beat the correct type of Unown and collect a stone that it may or may not have been carrying.

"Of all the crazy-!" Said Ivy.

"What is it?" Asked Pyroar.

"I just realized where we actually are," said Ivy.

"Unown Quarry, what of it?" Asked Fluffi.

"That is the new name of this Mystery Dungeon, it used to be known as something else," said Ivy.

"Which was?" I asked.

"Aegis Cave," said Ivy.

"Oh no," said Duran.

Pyroar and I were the only ones who didn't know what all the fuss was about.

"I wandered in here about seven thousand years ago," said Jirachi, "was so frustrating that I had to use an Escape Orb to save my sanity."

"Too bad we don't have that option right now," said Fluffi.

"The four Regis used to live here, but they left a little after the end of the Time Gears episode," said Ivy.

"But the Unown remain," said Duran.

"Unfortunately," said Ivy.

We continued on, wasting about five hours trying to make our way through the dungeon, though it felt like an eternity. We thought that Team Allure had already made it to the end and were waiting to gloat. However, when we finally made it through and found the stone atop a stone pillar, we found that we had gotten there the exact same time as Team Allure.

"Hi there!" Said Sylveon.

"That dungeon took a lot longer than I thought it would," said Altaria.

"You do know that this place is actually Aegis Cave, right?" Asked Jirachi.

"You certain?" Asked Altaria.

We shook our heads yes.

"Honey, why didn't you tell us this?" Nidoqueen asked Milotic.

"When was dungeon research MY responsibility?" Asked Milotic.

"Not much we can do about that now!" Said Sylveon.

"Honey, why are you always so happy?" Asked Nidoqueen.

"Well, excuse me for not being a stick in the mud like you!" Said Sylveon.

"Honey, say that again!" Said Nidoqueen.

"We'll talk about this later," said Altaria, "we still have a contest to win."

I just noticed that Altaria was wearing a Mega Stone.

"Ivy, is that what I think it is?" I asked, pointing at it.

"Yes, Altaria is wearing a... Mega Stone... Oh... crap," said Ivy.

"I see you've noticed my necklace," said Altaria, "well, how about I show you it in action?"

"No, that won't be necessary," said Jirachi.

Altaria put her wing on the stone embedded in the necklace.

"You've talked me into it," said Altaria, "Beyond evolution! Mega Evolve!"

Altaria was then wrapped in a bright light and then a little later, she emerged from the light with a cry and the symbol from the stone glowed above her before vanishing. Then, Mega Altaria stood before us.

"Cuteness!"

"Beauty!"

"Power!"

"Elegance!"

"Here comes Team Allure!"

"Poison Jab!" Yelled Nidoqueen, but I managed to dodge her poison-laced horn.

"Iron Tail!" I yelled, slamming my tail into the right side of Nidoqueen's waist.

"Heavy Slam!" Yelled Duran.

Sylveon leapt into air and did a flip over Duran, avoiding the attack like it was nothing.

"Attract!" Yelled Sylveon, following the move's name with her signature wink.

Sylveon fired a large, pink heart at Duran, which hit and infatuated him.

"Power-Up Punch!" Yelled Fluffi.

Fluffi scored a hit, but she really only succeeded in activating Nidoqueen's Poison Point Ability, getting herself poisoned.

"Zen Head-!" Jirachi began, but Nidoqueen buried her in the ground under her tail before Jirachi could finish, "oof!"

Mega Altaria started gathering energy, to which Pyroar decided to save himself and use Bounce.

"Leaf Blade!" Yelled Ivy, landing an attack on Milotic's tail.

"Ice Beam!" Yelled Milotic, hitting Ivy with a freezing beam of energy before she could get away.

"Iron Tail!" Yelled Nidoqueen, but Jirachi used her psychic powers to help her escape just in time.

"That was close!" Said Jirachi.

"Iron Tail!" I yelled, attacking Sylveon.

I hit Sylveon with my attack I didn't count on her having the Cute Charm Ability. So I ended up getting myself infatuated.

"Power-Up Punch!" Yelled Fluffi, ear-punching Sylveon away from me.

"You slut! I'm the only one allowed to do that to Drake!" Said Fluffi.

Everyone stared at Fluffi and that statement even got Duran out of infatuation status.

"Overprotective much?" Asked Sylveon.

"I had no idea that you felt that way about Drake," said Duran.

"I don't! What gave you that idea!?" Asked a blushing, defensive, Fluffi.

"Tee-he! Your face betrays you, girl," said Jirachi.

"Shut up or there'll be shooting stars tonight!" Said Fluffi.

"You cannot talk your way out of this one," said Ivy.

"Can we get back to the battle?" Asked Milotic.

"Huh? Oh, right!" Said Fluffi.

"I'm surrounded by idiots," said Pyroar.

"Aerial Ace!" Yelled Duran.

"Dig!" Yelled Sylveon.

Sylveon's Dig made her dodge Duran's Aerial Ace, but since the attack was still an unavoidable attack and it needed a target, it hit Mega Altaria instead.

"Water Pulse!" Yelled Jirachi, getting Nidoqueen drenched.

"Water? Curse you! My skin is dry clean only!" Shouted Nidoqueen.

"Sky Attack!" Yelled Mega Altaria.

Mega Altaria's attack hit all of us, besides Pyroar, who was still in the air. Pyroar then landed and hit Mega Altaria with Bounce.

"Aqua Tail!" Yelled Ivy, hitting Milotic with another attack.

"Scald!" Yelled Milotic, shooting Ivy with a jet of boiling hot water, giving Ivy a second-degree burn.

"Earth Power!" Yelled Nidoqueen, attacking our entire party with sand geysers.

"Rock Slide!" Yelled Duran, almost burying Nidoqueen under a pile of boulders.

Sylveon emerged from the ground and hit Pyroar with Dig and then hit Duran with a Psyshock and Moonblast combo.

"Return!" Yelled Fluffi, but Sylveon dodged it.

"Dazzling Gleam!" Yelled Jirachi, attacking Mega Altaria with a bright flash of light.

"Moonblast!" Yelled Mega Altaria, hitting both me and Fluffi with the attack.

"Fire Fang!" Yelled Pyroar, biting into Mega Altaria's wing.

Ivy missed Milotic with Iron Tail and somehow dodged Milotic's Dragon Pulse.

"Ladies, it's time," said Mega Altaria.

"Attract-ocalypse!" Yelled all the members of Team Allure.

Mega Altaria, Milotic, Nidoqueen and Sylveon went to the four corners of the room and let loose a seemingly endless barrage of Attracts, each aimed at a different area than the last. When two Attracts hit each other, they would combine and then explode into a rain of hearts. All our team, even the females were dodging the attack. I was the only one not dodging it, after all, damage already done. Somehow, amidst the chaos, my infatuation worn off and then I attacked Nidoqueen with Flamethrower, KOing her and ending 'Attract-ocalypse'.

"Nidoqueen!" Said Mega Altaria.

"Good work, Drake!" Said Duran, "Now's our chance!"

"Heavy Slam!" Yelled Duran.

"Return!" Yelled Fluffi.

Duran sent Sylveon flying with his attack and then Fluffi slammed her into the ground with hers, finishing Sylveon off.

Jirachi and Pyroar executed a Iron Head and Hyper Beam combo on Mega Altaria resulting in a KO for her.

"Ice Beam!" Yelled Milotic, attacking Ivy yet again.

Ivy then activated her Overgrow Ability and scored a critical on Milotic with Leaf Blade, resulting in the fourth and final KO.

"We.. won," I said, then collapsed to the ground.

"Don't disappear on us now," said Duran.

"Don't even joke about that," said Ivy.

We then got to work healing up and dressing our wounds and then attended to Team Allure's wounds. After a few minutes of this, after Team Allure woke up, Nidoqueen spoke.

"Honey, you know just where to hit with that Flamethrower," said Nidoqueen.

"It appears our successful treasure hunting streak has reset itself," said Milotic.

"Oh well!" Said Sylveon.

"Nothing fazes you, does it?" Asked Milotic.

"Not really." Said Sylveon.

"You've won," said Altaria, no longer Mega Evolved, "go on, take your prize."

Ivy used her vines to take the stone off the pedestal.

"What is that?" I asked.

"This is a stone that's used to make Mega Stones," said Ivy.

"That is correct," said Altaria.

"So we can make stones for each of us?" Asked Duran.

"Not exactly," said Ivy, "for all of us to Mega Evolve, we'd need a different type of stone for each of us, they're kind of Pokémon-specific."

"One of you should be able to use it," said Milotic.

"Let's see here," said Ivy, who pulled a book out of her bag and turned to a particular page,

"Light blue stone with a black and dark blue symbol... here it is Charizardite X."

"Stop speaking gibberish!" I said, "who's it for?"

"You, Drake," said Ivy, "if you evolve into Charizard and use this, you'll Mega Evolve into the same form you used when you fought Giratina. I can make you a bangle out of it when you do evolve."

"I will? You can?" I asked, "wait, did you know that this particular Mega Stone was here this whole time?"

"Yep!" Said Sylveon.

"Why didn't you tell us this was here to begin with?" Asked Fluffi.

"First of all, it's pretty fun messing with Pokémon," said Milotic.

"Secondly, we wanted to see how strong you really were," said Altaria.

"Well, this does us no good, we can't evolve," I said, "we've tried over and over, with no success.

We can't even wish for it."

"We are aware of that too, honey," said Nidoqueen.

"We promised you a secret for winning, didn't we?" Asked Sylveon.

"There is a spring far past the mountains to the east called Serenity Lake," said Altaria.

"The water is blessed by the power of an ancient and powerful Pokémon," said Milotic.

"So what?" Asked Pyroar.

"It can bypass whatever barrier was placed on you and let you evolve," said Milotic.

"Really? I've never heard of something like that," said Ivy.

"We've been there," said Altaria, "Milotic tested the water and found out that it was true."

"You evolved there?" Asked Duran.

"Yes," said Milotic, "something barred me from evolution, and just swimming in that water was enough to let me evolve."

"What Pokémon has the power to do that?" Asked Jirachi.

"No clue!" Said Sylveon.

Nidoqueen marked the location of the spring on my map.

"We have business elsewhere," said Altaria, "we're leaving now, but one day, we'll come back to your town."

Team Allure left the Unown Quarry. A lake that lets you evolve? The decision was unanimous, tomorrow, we will visit Serenity Lake and evolve.


	18. Chapter XVIII: Lake of Evolution

Chapter XVIII: Lake of Evolution

The next day, we paid a visit to Furfrou and Ninetails. When we arrived, we found that the front door had been ripped off its hinges and we heard a struggle going on in the back. So, we ran inside to see what all the fuss was about. We found Furfrou and Ninetails blocking the door to the Magnagate from a group of four ruffians, a group we knew all too well.

"What are you dweebs doing here!?" I asked.

"Prepare for trouble, that's what we set out to do."

"And make it double, you should get a clue."

"To protect the world from devastation."

"To unite all peoples within our nation."

"To denounce the evils of truth and love."

"To extend our reach to the stars above."

"Jesse."

"James."

"Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light."

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight, fight and fight."

"Meowth, that's right!"

"Wobbuffet!"

"Team Cheri Bomb, or whatever you call yourselves, this is a private residence, leave now," said Furfrou.

"First of all, we're Team Rocket not Cheri Bomb!" Said Meowth.

"Secondly, no can do," said Jesse, "we're here for your Entercards, hand them over!"

"You four are getting to be a real pain in my a-" I began.

"Hey!" Interrupted Jirachi.

"What?" I asked.

"Kids read this fanfic," said Jirachi.

"Besides, if you think this is bad, you should've been here about four months ago," said Ivy, "we had to deal with them about every day."

"I know, I seen it," I said.

"Do you have psychic powers or something?" Asked Duran.

"It's a long story, but right now, it's trash day," I said, "team, Rocket-B-Gone formation A."

"Rocket-B-what?" Asked James, "you can't just use our names in your moves willy-nilly!"

"Wobbuffet!"

I used Flamethrower, Fluffi used Charge Beam, and Pyroar used Hyper Beam at the same time causing Team Rocket to blast off.

"What was that!?" Asked Jesse.

"We've got to talk with the writer about getting us more time in these chapters!" Said James.

"Fat chance," said Meowth.

"Wobbuffet!"

"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!"

*Twinkle*

"You know, we probably blasted them off right to where we're going," said Pyroar.

Fluffi slapped Pyroar in the back of the head.

"Don't jinx it, moron!" Said Fluffi.

Pyroar glared at Fluffi.

"Sorry! I didn't mean it!" Said Fluffi.

"Thanks for your help with those stooges," said Ninetails, "but something tells me that this isn't a social visit."

"We need to get to Serenity Lake," said Jirachi.

"We've never heard of that place," said Furfrou, "what do you seek there?"

We explained the whole story to Ninetails and Furfrou.

"So you wish to evolve?" Asked Furfrou.

We nodded our heads yes.

"We can help you," said Ninetails, "do you have the lake's location? It will be much faster to find the correct Entercard combination if we know that."

I pulled out the map and pointed to where it was marked.

"Shouldn't take too long," said Ninetails.

Then we all walked into the room where the machine was and Furfrou and Ninetails proceeded to try out different card combinations until they soon settled on one possibility. They then summoned a Magnagate and we were whisked away to a forest glade. We found out that we had to walk through a Mystery Dungeon in order to get to the lake, which we did and eventually Serenity Lake stood before us.

"Is that it?" I asked, "It looks pretty unspectacular."

"Only one way to find out," said Jirachi.

Just then Team Rocket crashed to the ground in front of us.

"Pyroar...," said Fluffi.

"I make no apologies," said Pyroar.

"You twerps!" Said Jesse.

Team Rocket then regained their composure.

"Let's start over," said James.

"This time you twerps are going to blast off!" Said Meowth.

"Wobbuffet!"

Just then, Team Rocket got hit by a triple Shadow Ball attack and blasted off.

"What the heck was that?" Asked Jesse.

"Blasting off twice in one chapter!" Said James.

"This is really rubbing me the wrong way!" Said Meowth.

"Wobbuffet!"

"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!"

*Twinkle*

"Whatever happened was not my doing," said Fluffi.

"We can still blame you," said Duran.

"Who did that?" Asked Ivy.

Then, three Pokémon, unfamiliar to me, revealed themselves.

"Uxie, Mesprit and Azelf too?" Asked Jirachi, "What's the Lake Trio doing here?"

"You know them?" I asked.

"Yep, they've each lived longer than me," said Jirachi, "Uxie, the Being of Knowledge, Mesprit, the Being of Emotion and Azelf the Being of Willpower."

Just then, they fired Shadow Ball attacks at us, which we dodged in the nick of time.

"Stop this! It's me, Jirachi!" Said Jirachi.

I then noticed that they were mad and their eyes were glowing red, except for Uxie who never opened his eyes, but I could tell he was in the same state. The Lake Trio were Enraged Pokémon!

"Jirachi! Stay back!" I yelled, "Your friends are now enraged Pokémon!"

"Gee, what was your first clue?" Asked Fluffi sarcastically.

"It appears emotions run thick," said Ivy.

"And their willpower wasn't high enough," said Duran.

"I'm glad we're armed with that knowledge," said Jirachi.

"Everyone, stop speaking weird!" Said Pyroar.

Mesprit fired a Signal Beam at Ivy, which was dodged and then, Ivy hit Mesprit with Iron Tail.

"Psyshock!" Yelled Uxie and Azelf at the same time, resulting in damage for both Duran and I respectively.

"Fire Fang!" Yelled Pyroar, trapping Azelf in his mouth.

"Shadow Claw!" I yelled, attacking Azelf before he could free himself from Pyroar's maw.

"Water Pulse!" Yelled Jirachi.

"Heavy Slam!" Yelled Duran.

Unfortunately, both attacks were easily dodged by Uxie.

"Shadow Ball!" Yelled Fluffi, finishing off Azelf.

"Signal Beam!" Yelled Mesprit, still trying to hit Ivy.

"Vine Wh-! Aaaaah!" Cried out Ivy as Uxie hit Ivy with his own Signal Beam from Ivy's blind spot, which finally made Mesprit able to hit Ivy with her Signal Beam.

"Hyper Beam!" Yelled Pyroar.

"Aerial Ace!" Yelled Jirachi.

The combo finished off Mesprit. The rest of us did our best to hit Uxie, but to no avail, even with Aerial Ace.

"What is up with this?" Asked Fluffi. 

"Uxie is the Being of Knowledge," said Jirachi, "he kind of knows everything, even where we are going to attack and how to avoid it."

"Then how do we beat him?" Asked Duran.

"I have a plan," I said, "but you all need to hold him still for me to do it."

"This isn't the type of plan that gets you or us killed, is it?" Asked Ivy.

"No," I said, "just do it."

For the next half an hour, Uxie tried to attack us and we tried to grab a hold of him. Somehow, after a lot of running around, we pinned him down and I dug in the bag I was carrying.

"Jirachi, open his mouth!" I said.

Jirachi used her psychic powers to force Uxie's mouth open and then I forced Uxie to swallow a Sleep Seed, lulling him into a deep sleep.

"Now, KO Uxie before he wakes up!" I said.

Everyone did as I instructed, and now the entire Lake Trio lie unconscious.

"That was your plan?" Asked Fluffi.

"Not like you had a better one," I said.

"...True," said Fluffi.

"I thought the enraged Pokémon were supposed to calm down now," said Duran.

"To infect legends such as those three...," said Jirachi.

"Are you okay?" Asked Ivy.

"I'll be fine," said Jirachi.

"As to the enraged Pokémon," said Pyroar, "there is one Pokémon we can ask."

"Xerneas," I said.

"But I cannot go with you," said Pyroar, "not after what I've done."

"Xerneas forgave you a long time ago," said Ivy.

"But I haven't forgave myself," said Pyroar.

"You said you came back to this world for redemption," I said, "this is your chance to seek Xerneas's redemption."

"No one's going to let you get out of this," said Fluffi.

"It appears I have no choice," said Pyroar.

I walked up to the water.

"In other news, can this water really help you evolve?" I asked.

Everyone else walked up to the water too.

"Only one way to find out. Charmanders first," said Fluffi who then pushed me into the water.

I stood up and the shallow water reached to about my waist.

"Fluffi, you little-!" I began.

Then my entire body began glowing with a pale blue and white light. After a short time, I could see nothing except for the light as far as I could see, which wasn't much, because my body could not move. I couldn't even move my eyes or even speak. I wouldn't be exaggerating to say I was freaking out. Then, I felt pains all over my body, like when I first became a Charmander, but somehow different. It felt much weirder in a way I can't explain. Then, eventually, the pains ceased, the light faded and I could move and talk again.

"Wow, that felt strangely like being assaulted and violated by a Tentacruel," I said.

"Drake, is that you?" Asked Fluffi.

"Of course it is, why wouldn't it be?" I asked.

I then looked down and noticed that I was a Charmeleon.

"I guess that worked, kind of," I said.

"I thought you'd be more freaked out," said Ivy.

"Got it worked out of my system when I was evolving," I said, "Speaking of which..."

I grabbed the fur on the back of Fluffi's neck.

"What goes around comes around," I said and then I threw Fluffi as far as I could into the center of the lake, screaming as she flew.

"I'm going to kill you!" Yelled Fluffi, who then crashed into the lake with a splash.

"Poetic justice!" Said Duran.

I then seen Fluffi's head emerge from the center of the lake, bobbing up and down with the waves. The water was obviously too deep for her feet to touch the bottom. Then, Fluffi was wrapped in the same light I was and started evolving. It took a few seconds, but she eventually evolved into Lopunny. She then swam right up to me and stood right in front of me.

"What was the big deal!?" Asked Fluffi, "you make that a habit in the human world?"

"Actually, you kind of deserved that," said Ivy.

I remained silent, as I was looking over Fluffi's new appearance. Before, Fluffi looked like a child, a rabbit child, but still a child, but now she looked like a full-grown woman who now stood even taller than me.

"I did not!" Said Fluffi.

"Yes you did, you pushed Drake in, so one good turn deserves another," said Pyroar.

"Do you think the same way, Jirachi?" Asked Fluffi.

"You totally deserved it, sucker!" Said Jirachi.

My gaze then focused on Fluffi's figure, which I just noticed her new evolution gave her. It wasn't quite as curvy as a supermodel's but her body would still make a lot of human women very jealous.

"I guess I'm outnumbered here," said Fluffi.

Everyone nodded, except for me, my gaze was still fixated in one place.

"I guess you won this one, Drake," said Fluffi, "Drake? Hey! My eyes are up here!"

I immediately corrected my gaze and met her eyes with my own.

"Drake's a pervert! Drake's a pervert! " Sang Jirachi.

I then fired a Flamethrower in Jirachi's direction, which she dodged, but of course, I didn't try to hit her.

"Hey if you don't like that song, I can do others!" Said Jirachi.

"I'll go next," said Ivy, who then jumped into the water, a few feet from us.

Ivy then started glowing with the same blue and white light and then evolved into Servine.

"Now, Drake, you can start undressing me with your eyes, now," said Ivy.

"Ivy's a pervert! Drake's a pervert! They're both perverts! " Sang Jirachi.

I fired another Flamethrower at Jirachi and Ivy hit her with Vine Whip.

"Hey! If you don't like my singing, just say so!" Said Jirachi.

"I guess that leaves me," said Duran, "and if you start oogling me, Drake, I'll kill you."

Duran went into the water and he evolved into Lairon.

"Okay, Pyroar, your turn," said Duran.

"I can't evolve any further," said Pyroar, "this is my final state."

"This is my only state," said Jirachi.

"Why isn't this water letting me evolve further?" I asked, "I'm not a god-mode Charizard yet."

 _"You've already used the water."_

We turned around and noticed that Uxie, Mesprit and Azelf were awake and calmed down.

"You're all right!" Said Jirachi.

"Of course we are!" Said Azelf.

"It will take more than that to keep us down," said Mesprit.

"What did you mean, we've already used the water?" Asked Fluffi.

"The water will let you evolve," said Uxie, "but since you've used the water, you won't be able to use it again for quite some time."

"That sucks," said Duran.

"How did you three become enraged Pokémon," said Ivy, "I thought legends were immune."

Don't know," said Mesprit.

"But we are about to," said Azelf, "Uxie, if you will."

Uxie hovered in the air for a moment, saying nothing. I assumed he was looking into the future. Then, when Uxie finished, if his eyes were open, they would've grown wide, as he started whispering frantically with the other two.

"What's wrong?" Asked Fluffi.

"You beat Giratina, but that changed nothing!" Said Mesprit.

"If anything you've hastened our end!" Said Azelf.

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"You two! Quit jumping to conclusions!" Said Uxie, "We need to disappear from this place for a while to see if my vision was true, and I hope it's wrong."

"What did you see?" Asked Ivy.

"If it's false, you needn't worry about it," said Uxie, "but if it's true, either we or Xerneas herself will contact you in a few days."

The Lake Trio then teleported away somewhere.

"Now, I'm really worried," said Duran.

"No need to worry!" Said Jirachi.

"Jirachi's right," I said, "we should just go home and, since we evolved, we should learn new moves."

"If things do go south, we'll prepare for the worst," said Pyroar.

We then went back to town and prepared for and wondered about what exactly it was that Uxie had seen.


	19. Chapter XIX: Death Stirs

Chapter XIX: Death Stirs

Over the next few days, we learned new moves, trained and did more jobs. We eventually scored a sweet deal on a property a ways out from town that we are now using as our team base. It is kind of small but if we could hire a carpenter or contractor, we bought plenty of land to expand once we got more Poké. Beautifly and the rest of the guild has been generous enough to let us continue eating there until we could fend for ourselves. 

"Drake, you worked at a supermarket?" Asked Fluffi.

"Yes, I did," I said, which I could've sworn I told her already.

"What is a supermarket?" Asked Ivy.

"Kind of like Kecleon's store, but much bigger and it's managed by many people," I said.

"Many Kecleons?" Asked Duran.

"No, humans," I said, "Kecleons don't exist in the human world."

"I'm confused," said Duran. 

"Well, let me explain-," I began.

We all were dead silent as we all felt the same thing, a sense of palpable dread and malice. It was as if a wave of dark emotion passed through us and then it was gone as quickly as it had come.

"Did anyone else feel that?" Asked Jirachi.

"I definitely did," said Pyroar.

"That sense of pure hatred," I said.

Then, we felt another wave of dark emotion pass through us.

"Let's check outside," I said.

Without another word, we went outside and headed west into town. Something terrible had happened here. Everywhere we looked, Pokémon were lying sick on stretchers and being carried into Blissey's clinic by the Pokémon that worked there and even Blissey herself.

"Blissey, what's going on?" Asked Ivy.

"I wish I knew," said Blissey, "today, all of a sudden _this_ happened. I can't talk anymore, I must get to intensive care. Ask the guild about it."

Blissey then ran off, accompanying a Duosion that was being carried by stretcher into the clinic. So, we did as Blissey suggested and went into the guild's assembly area. It turns out that all the apprentices and guild members were present there.

"-nothing like this has ever hap-" began Beautifly.

"Team Dragoon! Ye wee bairns made it!" Interrupted Stoutland.

"What has happened here?" Asked Duran.

"We each felt some odd emotions and then half the town fell ill!" Said Kevin, "what do you think!?"

"Could this be what Uxie was talking about?" I asked Jirachi.

"How would I know?" Asked Jirachi, "I'm not omniscient."

"What was that about Uxie?" Asked Gardevoir.

"Oh, right, you never heard what happened at Serenity Lake," said Duran.

"You obviously evolved," said Mienshao.

"You pull off the red coat quite well, Drake," said Rose.

"Thanks, but it'd be best if we just tell the whole story from the beginning," I said.

Starting with the adventure with Team Allure, we told the story of the evolution at Serenity Lake and Uxie's vision.

"So when are they supposed to contact you?" Asked Dragonair.

 _"Right now."_

Xerneas then appeared in front of all of us.

"Waah!" Yelled Sanderson. 

"Don't do that!" Said Beautifly.

"Sorry," said Xerneas, "but I need Team Dragoon right now."

"Does it have to do with Uxie's vision or the plague?" Asked Sceptile.

"Plague yes, vision also yes, but to a lesser extent," said Xerneas, "Yveltal stirs from his slumber."

"Who's Yveltal?" Asked Elena.

"Yveltal is the exact opposite of my being," said Xerneas, "I embody life and he embodies death."

"This is sounding familiar," I said.

"What does that have to do with these sick Pokémon?" Asked Arcanine.

"Yveltal wakes once every 10,000 years," said Xerneas, "he is not an evil Pokémon, but he awakes violently and will kill every living thing he can find till he calms down."

"I remember him," said Jirachi, "not a pretty sight."

"If he's the opposite of you, can't you calm him down?" Asked Fluffi.

"Normally I could, but this time he's waking up much stronger than normally," said Xerneas, "as he's about to wake up, he expels waves of pure darkness. Normally they are harmless, but you've seen what the waves are doing now."

"The sick Pokémon?" Asked Banzai.

"Yes," said Xerneas, "Uxie's vision of doom is true and Yveltal senses it, so he's preparing his energy for the planet's final breath."

"I thought defeating Giratina would solve this!" I said.

"No time to explain, you must get to Yveltal ASAP," said Xerneas, "but do not kill him, otherwise he _will_ destroy all life on the planet with his last breath."

"You're not coming?" Asked Pyroar.

"No, I must contact the other legends about another matter," said Xerneas, "and as for the guild, you must talk to the queen. War is around the corner and it's the last thing the world need right now. You must arrange a peace."

"We'll do all we can," said Sceptile.

"Where is Yveltal now?" Asked Ivy.

"I have a feeling you already know the answer to that question," said Xerneas.

"No, not there," I said.

"Yes, Yveltal is in the Deadlands," said Xerneas, "hurry there, now."

Xerneas teleported away and we decided not to argue with her. We visited Furfrou and Ninetails, and with some convincing, they agreed to Magnagate us back to the Deadlands. Fortunately, the Magnagate teleported us right in front of the hole Duran made when we were first here, though we were a bit bigger now, so Duran had to make the hole bigger, too. We walked in and looked at the pillar of stone that had flames on it during our last visit. Now a grey cocoon-like thing was floating above the pillar and waves of dark, purple light were escaping from it.

"Is that Yveltal?" I asked Jirachi.

"Yes, before he awakes," said Jirachi.

"He's been here the entire time and we didn't know," said Ivy.

 _"HATRED!"_

"What was that voice?" Asked Fluffi.

"It sounded like it came from that," said Pyroar, pointing at the cocoon.

 _MALICE!"_

"Yes, that's definitely Yveltal's voice," said Jirachi, "he's about to wake up!"

"Good, let's kick his butt!" Said Duran.

 _"POWER!"_

 _"DARKNESS!"_

 _"THE END DRAWS NIGH!"_

The cocoon then opened and Yveltal was revealed before us.

"Death!?" I asked in surprise.

"FOR YOU I AM DEATH!" Roared Yveltal.

Yveltal fired an Oblivion Wing at us, which we dodged.

"Drake, this is not an Accursed One, this is the real deal!" Said Pyroar.

Then, we heard some soothing music, the kind that belonged nowhere near here. We looked and seen that a new Pokémon had joined the fray. She looked kind of like a miniature human.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"A friend," said the Pokémon, "I can help calm Yveltal down with my song, but you still need to fight."

"MEDDLESOME CUR!" Roared Yveltal.

Yveltal launched a Dark Pulse at the Pokémon, but Duran intercepted it and took the hit with his metal body.

"Drake, orders?" Asked Duran.

"Protect her," I said, "and defeat Yveltal!" 

"DIE TRYING!" Roared Yveltal, "STEEL WING!"

Yveltal hit me with the attack, and even though it wasn't very effective, it still hurt, a lot.

"Flame Charge!" Yelled Pyroar, cloaking his entire body in flames and slamming his entire body into Yveltal.

I used the opening to jump on Pyroar's back, jump off and then hit Yveltal with Brick Break.

"Iron Tail!" Yelled Ivy and Duran but both of them missed.

Fluffi used Bounce and Jirachi barely missed with Thunderbolt.

"FOCUS BLAST!" Roared Yveltal, forming a ball of energy and slammed it into Pyroar.

"HYPER VOICE!" Roared Pyroar, blasting Yveltal with high-powered sound waves.

"Dragon Pulse!" I yelled, blasting Yveltal with a dragon-shaped plume of energy.

"Aqua Tail!" Yelled Ivy, but she missed by a mile.

"Shock Wave!" Yelled Duran, hitting Yveltal with an unavoidable wave of electricity.

Fluffi missed Yveltal with Bounce, but then hit him with a Thunder Punch and Drain Punch combo. Jirachi tried to use Water Pulse, but she missed again.

"Ivy, let's do it!" I said.

"Right!" Said Ivy.

We lured Yveltal toward us and sprung our trap.

"Fire Pledge!" I yelled.

"Grass Pledge!" Ivy yelled.

My attack hit Yveltal with a column of fire and Ivy's attack hit him with a column of sharp leaves and then the two attacks combined and engulfed Yveltal into a gigantic tornado of fire. When the attack ended, Yveltal laid exhausted on the floor of the cavern, but he still had the crazed look in his eyes.

"That's my cue," said the singing Pokémon.

The song that Pokémon was singing increased in pitch and with a loud roar from Yveltal, he calmed down and the song ended.

"Xerneas?" Asked Yveltal.

Yveltal glanced around and only seen us.

"I guess I was mistaken," said Yveltal, "a Pokémon named Xerneas usually calms me down."

"She wasn't able to do it this time," I said, "she sent us in her stead."

"I'm sorry if I caused you any casualties," said Yveltal.

"You didn't," said Fluffi.

"Must be early in my rampage," said Yveltal, "I am much weaker than usual after I just wake up."

"Hi, Yveltal!" Said Jirachi.

"Jirachi?" Asked Yveltal, "I didn't know you were awake."

"Just happened recently," said Jirachi.

"He isn't going to attack us anymore is he?" Asked the new Pokémon.

"No, not anymore," said Yveltal.

"Good," said the Pokémon.

"Who are you anyway?" Asked Duran.

"Oh, right! I didn't have time to introduce myself!" Said the Pokémon, "I am the fabulous,

singing, alluring, superstar... Meloetta!"

Meloetta struck a pose when she said her name, causing Yveltal to sweat drop.

"You keep interesting company...," said Yveltal.

"Oh, this is nothing compared to what we usually deal with," said Ivy.

"What were you even doing here to begin with?" Asked Pyroar.

"I heard Xerneas's warning," said Meloetta.

"While I was asleep I could feel that something was wrong," said Yveltal, "like the very planet was crying out in fear."

"Meloetta, what's going on?" I asked, "what could possibly be scaring so many powerful legendary Pokémon such as Xerneas and Uxie?"


	20. Chapter XX: Rage from Beyond Time

Chapter XX: Rage from Beyond Time

"Meloetta, what's going on?" I asked, "what could possibly be scaring so many powerful legendary Pokémon such as Xerneas and Uxie?"

"I've been wondering that myself," said Yveltal, "I'm kind of out of the loop."

"All I know is that Uxie had seen an omen of doom," said Meloetta, "in the vision, he seen the shadow of a great beast drawing near the planet and then it consumed the entire planet whole."

"What does it mean?" Asked Ivy.

"Exactly what I said," said Meloetta, "a beast from the unknown reaches of space seeks to destroy this planet." 

"What is this creature's name? Why does it seek to destroy this planet?" Asked Pyroar.

"No one knows, Uxie's vision has become clouded of late," said Meloetta, "but that's not important. All that matters is stopping this threat."

"How can we do something like that?" Asked Duran.

"I don't know, but Xerneas has called for all available legends all over the world to meet at Yggdrasil for an important meeting," said Meloetta, "and since Yveltal and Jirachi are legends, they have been summoned as well as I."

"What about us?" Asked Fluffi.

"Part of the reason I came here," said Meloetta, "Jirachi is part of your team, so you've been summoned as well."

"I'm guessing it's mandatory," said Duran.

"Yes," said Meloetta.

"I'll fly us there," said Yveltal.

"I'll save you some flyer miles," I said, "follow me."

I led everyone out of the cave and set up the device we 'd received from Furfrou and Ninetails, summoning a Magnagate. We stepped in and emerged in the cottage where we were immediately bombarded with questions. I shoved the device into Furfrou's mouth.

"No time to explain," I said, "we're on a schedule."

We quickly got out of the cottage and rode on Yveltal's back and landed on Yggdrasil's branches. We quickly made our way to the meeting area and sat around waiting for the other legends to get there. Jirachi, Yveltal and Meloetta introduced us to Articuno, Ho-oh, Latios, Latias, Manaphy, Phione and Diance, who had gotten there ahead of us and Cresselia and the Lake Trio we already met, were there as well. A few more legends arrived and then Xerneas appeared and began the meeting.

"It looks like everyone that's going to arrive is here, so let's get started," said Xerneas.

"Excuse me ma'am, but it appears some party crashers got in," said a Pokémon, pointing at us.

"Mewtwo, that is Team Dragoon and I invited them," said Xerneas.

"So you're the reason Giratina couldn't be here," said Mewtwo, "nice work, though, I would've

done it had you not beat me to it."

"Mewtwo," said Latios, "we have better things to talk about than you getting off on battling."

"Why don't you get over here and say that to my face, little boy blue," said Mewtwo.

"QUIET!" Yelled a colossal Pokémon, "MY DUM-DUM WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK."

"Quit calling me that for Pete's sake, Regigigas" said Xerneas, "anyway, the reason I've called

you all here was to discuss Uxie's vision, which I've warned all of you of."

"We know! When do we get to fight that thing?" Asked another Pokémon.

"Patience, Lugia," said Xerneas, "Uxie has estimated that the creature will be here in a few

months, but we will just get ourselves killed with these numbers. We need more help."

"I can recruit all the legends we need," said a green dragon.

"Okay, Rayquaza, I'll leave that to you," said Xerneas, "and if anyone else finds other legends, you recruit them as well."

"Xerneas!" I shouted, "don't forget non-legends, they have just as much right to fight for this planet as you do."

"Of course," said Xerneas, "but you, Team Dragoon, I have another task for. There is a weird anomaly happening to the north of town. I need you to check it out, we don't need to save ourselves from one crisis and land into another."

"Your business here is concluded," said Cresselia, who then teleported us away to the source of the anomaly.

We found ourselves standing in front of a rock face in the frozen tundra of the arctic.

"What was the deal with giving us the boot like that?" I asked.

"Trust me, the less you are involved with Xerneas's meetings, the better," said Jirachi, "she likes to drone on and on."

"So is this cliff where the anomaly is?" asked Fluffi.

Just then, a large portal appeared on the side of the cliff.

"What in the world?" Asked Ivy.

"A Corridor of Time," said Jirachi, "a legendary Pokémon known as Celebi uses them to jump across vast eras of time. Don't touch it, the moment you touch it, you'll be whisked away to who knows when."

Then a large, dark blue Pokémon with glowing orange parts on its body leapt from the Corridor of Time and stood in front of us.

"Dialga!?" Asked Jirachi, "we just seen you at Yggdrasil, how'd you get here?"

"GROOOAAAAH!" Roared Dialga.

Duran tackled Jirachi out of the way and took Dialga's attack.

"Dialga! What are you doing!?" Yelled Jirachi.

"Look at Dialga's claws," said Duran.

We looked and seen blood all over them.

"GROOOAAAAH!" Roared Dialga.

"That's not Dialga!" Yelled Ivy, "That's Primal Dialga!"

"But, Grovyle, Dusknoir and Celebi beat Primal Dialga," said Jirachi, "Dialga told me himself."

"Apparently multiverse theory exists," I said.

"Multi-what?" Asked Fluffi.

I pushed her out the way of Primal Dialga's attack and took it in her stead.

"I'll explain later," I said.

"Fight now!" Said Pyroar.

"GROOOAAAAH!" Roared Primal Dialga.

Primal Dialga fired a Flash Cannon at me, but I dodged it and then Duran hit Primal Dialga with Shock Wave.

"Flame Charge!" Yelled Pyroar, but his attack missed.

"Thunderbolt!" Yelled Jirachi.

"Thunder Punch!" Yelled Fluffi.

Jirachi and Fluffi both landed their attacks on Primal Dialga. Ivy and I used our Grass and Fire Pledge combo, turning the ground that Primal Dialga was on into a shallow pool of molten lava.

"GROOOAAAAH!" Roared Primal Dialga.

Primal Dialga used Roar of Time causing what felt like many knives cutting through my flesh, not that I've ever felt that, and causing all of us to shed blood. No more playing around.

"Iron Tail!" Yelled Duran, smacking Primal Dialga in the chest with the attack.

"HYPER VOICE!" Roared Pyroar, blasting Primal Dialga with invisible sound waves.

Jirachi missed with Water Pulse, but Fluffi hit with Drain Punch.

"Leaf Blade!" Yelled Ivy.

"Dragon Pulse!" I yelled, however only my attack hit Primal Dialga.

Primal Dialga hit me with Aerial Ace and then iced us all with Blizzard.

"Flame Charge!" Yelled Pyroar.

"Water Pulse!" Yelled Duran.

"Psyshock!" Yelled Jirachi.

"Return!" Yelled Fluffi.

However, only the boy's attacks managed to hit Primal Dialga. Primal Dialga then charged into all of us, bowling us over.

"GROOOAAAAH!" Roared Primal Dialga.

Primal Dialga used Roar of Time again causing all of us deep flesh wounds. I had to end this now. I reached into my bag and found a Sunny Orb, which I took out and then smashed on the ground.

"Flamethrower!" I yelled, the attack getting a boost from the bright sunlight, "Brick Break!"

My combo caused Primal Dialga to collapse on the ground.

"Now blast him into the Corridor of Time!" Yelled Jirachi.

We all did as Jirachi had instructed and Primal Dialga was teleported away somewhere else.

"What was _that_ about?" Asked Ivy.

"Drake, I ask again," said Fluffi, "multi-what?"


	21. Chapter XXI: Great Space Escape

Chapter XXI: Great Space Escape

We got all of our wounds patched up and then over the next few days, we made our way back to our team's base. You think Cresselia would've given us a way back when she teleported us there. We collapsed on the ground and went to sleep almost as soon as we got inside and closed the door. However we all woke up instantly when the ground started shaking uncontrollably and suddenly.

"Ahhh! Earthquake!" Yelled Fluffi.

Stuff started falling off shelves, out of cabinets and from tables and breaking upon impact. Then, the earthquake increased in intensity.

"We need to get out of here!" Yelled Duran.

We started to do so, but then the earthquake stopped and an unfamiliar Pokémon stood before us.

"I'VE FOUND YOU!" Roared the Pokémon, "THE TWO FOOLS WHO DARE TO DISTORT SPACE!"

"Who?" I asked.

"YOU DARE TO DISTORT SPACE WITHOUT MY PERMISSION!?" Roared the Pokémon.

This Pokémon had the same enraged eyes as the Lake Trio did, but something seemed off. This was clearly an enraged Pokémon, but he seemed to be in complete control of his own actions. As I dwelt upon this, the scenery changed and I was standing in a place that looked like the surface of the moon. Palkia teleported me away, but not only me, Pyroar was here too. No one else from our team was with us.

"Pyroar?" I asked, "where are we?"

"I have no clue," said Pyroar.

"MY NAME IS PALKIA!" Roared the Pokémon, "AND THIS IS MY DOMAIN, SPACIAL RIFT!"

"Jirachi was telling me about Palkia last night," said Pyroar, "he is the Pokémon who embodies space."

"YOU TWO HAVE COMMITED THE UNPARDONABLE SIN OF DISTORTING SPACE!" Roared Palkia, "THE PUNISHMENT IS DEATH!"

Palkia attacked us and knocked us into a chasm.

"YOU WILL NOT ESCAPE MY WRATH THAT EASILY!" Roared Palkia.

We finally crashed to the chasm floor and then quickly got to our feet.

"Curse our luck!" Said Pyroar, "we cannot win against him by ourselves, not when we're injured and he's like that."

"We have to get out of here somehow," I said.

"We may have to use the Etherlight again," said Pyroar, "be ready if that happens."

We proceeded slowly and carefully through this new Mystery Dungeon known as Spacial Rift, keeping an eye out for Palkia as we went. Eventually as we entered a room, the walls shifted and we were trapped inside the room.

"We're trapped!" I said.

"Brilliant deduction there, genius," said Pyroar.

"Was that sarcasm?" I asked.

"No, it was the sound of me running over a Gogoat," said Pyroar, "what do you think?"

The ground shook again and then Palkia stood before us once again.

"YOU HONESTLY THOUGHT YOU COULD ESCAPE!?" Roared Palkia, "I CAN BEND SPACE TO MY WILL!"

"Drake! We must fight!" Said Pyroar, who then started glowing with the power of the Etherlight.

I then started using the power of my own Etherlight.

"Attack him and at the first opportunity we see, we'll get out of here!" I said.

"DIE TRYING!" Roared Palkia, "THERE IS NO ESCAPE FROM ME!"

Palkia tried to hit us with Scald, but we dodged it.

"Flame Charge!" Yelled Pyroar, but somehow, Palkia avoided all damage from him.

"Dragon Pulse!" I yelled, which missed Palkia as well.

Palkia used Flamethrower, which I met with my own and Pyroar used Bounce.

"SPACIAL REND!" Roared Palkia, who then hit Pyroar with the attack, ending Bounce in its tracks, by tearing the space around Pyroar.

I hit Palkia with Dragon Pulse, but Palkia countered by hitting me with Thunder.

"It's no use," I said, "even with the Etherlight, we seem to be doing nothing to him."

"Don't lose heart," said Pyroar, "we're not trying to beat him."

Palkia grabbed me as soon as Pyroar had finished talking and slammed me into a wall and hit Pyroar with Scald.

"Flame Charge!" Yelled Pyroar.

Palkia hit Pyroar with his tail mid-attack, knocking him into me in the wall.

"Oof!" I said as Pyroar crashed into me and buried me deeper into the wall.

"SPACIAL REND!" Roared Palkia.

"Did this guy eat a Quick Seed or something?" Asked Pyroar.

Pyroar met the attack with Flame Charge, but Spacial Rend had too much power, and it broke through Pyroar's attack, damaging him. Palkia then appeared suddenly in front of me and used an unavoidable Spacial Rend. Pyroar moved to attack, but Palkia avoided it by teleporting a short distance away, which allowed me to get out of the wall.

"What is with this guy?" I asked, "we can't hit him anymore!"

"Palkia's manipulating space to his advantage!" Said Pyroar.

"Doesn't that count as cheating?" I asked.

"Ask him if he cares!" Said Pyroar.

Then, the ground shook again and then Dialga, Cresselia and Jirachi appeared before us.

"PALKIA! HOW COULD YOU BE WEAK ENOUGH TO LET YOURSELF LOSE CONTROL LIKE THIS!?" Roared Dialga.

"I WASN'T THE ONE WHO LET TEMPORAL TOWER GET SABOTAUGED!" Roared Palkia.

"Thank the stars we got to you in time!" Said Jirachi.

"Jirachi? Cresselia?" I asked.

"You did the right thing telling us about this," said Cresselia, "Get out of here, we must calm him down! You'll die if you stay!"

"Follow me!" Said Jirachi, who used her power to open an exit from the room.

We followed Jirachi through the tunnel she made.

"A wish was made for me to save you," said Jirachi, "but, Palkia summoned you here, and my power is far inferior to his in this place, so we must get as far away from Spacial Rift as possible, before I can teleport us out of here!"

"If you can teleport us, why did we use Magnagates all this time?" I asked.

"I can only use my full power if a wish has been made," said Jirachi.

Then the tunnel collapsed behind us and then Palkia was in the tunnel as well.

"THERE IS NO ESCAPE!" Roared Palkia.

Then Dialga hit Palkia with Dragon Pulse, knocking him down.

"Run!" Yelled Jirachi.

We ran through the tunnel, dodging Palkia's attacks the entire way and ducking on occasion as Dialga or Cresselia would fire an attack at him. We eventually arrived at an exit, except, the exit was on top of a seventy foot cliff overlooking a chasm with pointy looking stalagmites at the bottom.

"Dead end!" spat Pyroar.

Then Palkia found us and had our backs against a wall, so to speak. So we either had to go through Palkia or fall and skewer ourselves on the rocks.

"END OF THE ROAD!" Roared Palkia.

Dialga and Cresselia continued to attack him, but he ignored them, using his powers over space to instantly seal any wounds they caused.

"We must jump!" Said Jirachi.

"WHAT!?" Pyroar and I shouted in surprise.

"Trust me!" Said Jirachi.

We jumped and then Jirachi surrounded us in a golden light as we fell, then right before we met our messy ends on the rocks, we shot through the ceiling of the cave and we became a shooting star across the night sky, flying at record speeds. Night? We must've been in there longer than I thought.

We eventually crashed into the ground, in front of our team's base, where we were met by Fluffi, Duran and Ivy.

"Are you all right?" Asked Ivy.

"We've been better," said Pyroar.

"The better question is will we be safe here from you-know-who?" I asked.

"I wouldn't worry about that," said Jirachi, "Dialga and Cresselia were holding back, now that you two aren't there anymore, Palkia will be fixed in no time."

"By fixed, you mean-?" Began Fluffi.

"Back to his old self," said Jirachi.

"Oh, I thought you meant something else by 'fixed'," said Duran.


	22. Chapter XXII: Great Civil War

Chapter XXII: Great Civil War

A few days later, Pyroar and I had fully recovered from the injuries that Palkia gave us, and were able to do jobs with the rest of the team again. Cresselia visited us during this time and told us that Palkia was back to his old self and no longer trying to kill us. Currently, we were sitting around talking about the abduction by Palkia.

"What were you doing in our absence?" I asked.

"Trying to figure out how to save you," said Ivy.

"Team Rocket attacked during that time," said Duran, "and then after they were defeated, Fluffi made the wish."

"It was the only thing I could think of," said Fluffi.

"You probably saved our lives," I said.

"So you owe me," said Fluffi.

"No, you still need to pay me back for bringing you back to life," I said.

"How about I _don't_ sell you to science?" Asked Fluffi.

"What was that?" I asked.

"Nothing!" Said Fluffi.

"Speaking of owing people, you still owe me for fixing you up in the Deadlands," said Ivy.

"You still haven't let that go?" I asked.

"No," said Ivy, "and I charge interest, and before you say anything, saving the world doesn't pay

my bills."

"I've been in the human world!" I said.

"That's no excuse," said Ivy.

"You charge your teammates for medical treatment?" Asked Jirachi.

"When they do something stupid, yes," said Ivy.

"What did he do?" Asked Pyroar.

"He-," began Ivy, but I stopped her by covering her mouth with my hand.

"That's enough from you," I said, "and remember, Ivy, I'm a Fire Type."

"-Stabbed himself in the leg with a rock," finished Fluffi, "he thought he was dead."

There was a period of silence before everyone, even Pyroar, began laughing at me.

"You are the spawn of evil, Fluffi," I said.

They were still laughing at me when we heard a voice from outside.

 _"Mail call!"_

I walked outside and met Pelipper, who was waiting for me there.

"Priority mail for Team Dragoon," said Pelipper.

"I represent Team Dragoon," I said.

"Here," said Pelipper, reaching into her beak and handing me an important looking envelope, "by

the way, what's all the laughter about?"

"It's better that you don't know," I said, walking back into the base.

Everyone was lost in the spell of laughter still.

"Everyone- we- I," I tried to say, but everyone was laughing too hard to hear me.

"FOR THE LOVE OF QUAGSIRE, SHUT UP!" I yelled.

"Ow! Don't yell so loud!" Said Fluffi, "my ears are sensitive!"

"We just got priority mail," I said, holding up the envelope for everyone to see.

"From who?" Asked Ivy.

"Don't know," I said, setting the envelope down on the table.

"That's a royal seal!" Said Duran, "this envelope came straight from a king or queen!"

"But which one?" Asked Fluffi.

"Most likely, Florges, due to the seal being shaped like a flower," said Pyroar.

"Anyone know how to open this?" I asked, "in the human world you would have to use a seal

removal tool."

"I can open it," said Jirachi, "just give me a moment."

Jirachi used her psychic powers to remove the seal, neatly, pulled out a letter and started to

quietly read it.

"It's from Queen Florges," said Jirachi, "basically, she wants us to go evolve again at Serenity

Lake, which should've reset by now and then report to her palace as soon as Pokémon-ly

possible."

"Pokémon-ly?" I asked.

"How does she know about that spring?" Asked Fluffi.

"I guess the guild let something slip," said Duran.

"Do we go?" Asked Pyroar.

"We have to," said Ivy, "when you get a summons letter like this, to ignore it would be a felony."

"Can she even do that?" I asked, "this town is outside her jurisdiction."

"Yes, but only in emergencies involving a crisis of gigantic scale," said Duran.

"She better not be trying to recruit us into her army again," I said.

"That happened?" Asked Fluffi.

"Yes, at the graduation party and several other times since then," I said.

"All the letter said we had to do was evolve and show up," said Ivy, "if it comes to that, we _can_

refuse that part."

So, without a word we headed to Furfrou and Ninetails's cottage, then, after some explaining,

they agreed to let us use the Magnagates to go to and from Serenity Lake and Florges's palace.

We arrived, by Magnagate, on the road to Serenity Lake and started our journey there but then,

along the way, we got trapped in another energy cage.

"What the-?" Began Jirachi.

"Great, them again," I said, "3... 2... 1..."

"Prepare for trouble, a countdown to greatness."

"And make it double, your team is about to be one twerp less."

"To protect the world from devastation."

"To unite all peoples within our nation."

"To denounce the evils of truth and love."

"To extend our reach to the stars above."

"Jesse."

"James."

"Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light."

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight, fight and fight."

"Meowth, that's right!"

"Wobbuffet!"

"We don't have time to deal with you four right now!" Said Fluffi.

"Not our problem, twerp," said Jesse.

"Yeah, so pipe down!" Said Meowth.

"Wobbuffet!"

"What is it this time, revenge, our Poké, or your personal favorite, our TMs?" Asked Duran.

"We want the twerp Charmeleon," said James.

"Why me?" I asked. 

"Yeah, there are much better prizes," said Fluffi.

"Fluffi!" I said in shock.

"Just keeping it real, dude," said Fluffi.

"We want you on our team," said James.

"You've got to be kidding," I said, "as if I'd join a bunch of second-rate, comic relief, loser

villains such as you!"

"Hey! We are not second-rate!" Said Meowth.

"Wobbuffet!"

"We thought you might refuse, that's why we trapped you in there," said Jesse.

"If you trapped all of us in here, how am I supposed to go with you?" I asked, "the cage is

stationary."

"Uh, that's a good point," said James.

"I can't believe we didn't think that far ahead!" Said Meowth.

"These Pokémon make Psyducks look smart," said Duran.

"Big time," said Ivy.

"Well, they are comic relief," said Fluffi, "so they have an excuse. Not a good one, but still."

"Drake, you know that bottle you bought in town yesterday?" Asked Pyroar.

"Yeah, I thought it looked cool, so I bought it," I said.

"Do you have it with you?" Asked Pyroar.

"Yes, but I don't see how-," I began.

"Take it out and remove the top," said Pyroar.

I took out the strange bottle and opened it. Then, a strange, black mist appeared from the bottle

and swirled in the air a few inches in front of me.

"What's that twerp doing?" Asked Jesse.

"Wobbuffet!"

"Drake, what's that smoke?" Asked a nervous Fluffi.

"Ah! That bottle! That's- where'd you get it?!" Asked a shocked Jirachi.

All the mist emerged from the bottle and swirled around before forming a new Pokémon in our

midst.

"Ta-da! After 5,000 years of being trapped in the Prison Bottle, Hoopa's back, baby!"

"Hoopa!" Said Jirachi.

"Hey there, Starbreeze!" Said Hoopa.

"Quit calling me that!" Said Jirachi.

"Starbreeze? I'll have to remember that," I said.

"Watch it, bub," said Jirachi.

"So, I'm kind of out of the hoop, what's going on?" Hoopa asked.

"Long story short, bad guys up there, we're trapped in here," I said.

"Gotcha!" Said Hoopa.

"Looks like they've just recruited one more twerp," said James.

"What did you call me?!" Asked Hoopa.

"What are you hard of hearing, twerp?" Asked Meowth.

"You're going to regret that," said Hoopa.

Then, Hoopa used one of his hoops to open up a portal, which he used to appear in the middle of

Team Rocket.

"Hyperspace Hole!" Yelled Hoopa, causing a column of darkness to erupt from under them,

launching them over the next mountain.

Well, what are you waiting for?" Asked Hoopa, "use the portal."

We did as instructed and appeared outside the cage, which Hoopa destroyed shortly afterward

and returned to the bottle, which closed itself.

"What was that?" I asked.

"No time to explain," said Jirachi, "we've an appointment to get to."

We arrived at Serenity Lake shortly afterward and took a dip in the lake. Ivy, Duran and I

evolved into a Serperior, an Aggron and a Charizard respectively. Ivy, then outfitted me with a

bangle she made with the Charizardite X from the Unown Quarry earlier, and we travelled, via

Magnagate, back to the cottage and then into the courtyard of Florges's palace.

We then found a guard who led us straight to the palace's audience chamber, or throne room, whichever term you prefer. We entered inside and found, aside from a few guards, that Queen Florges, Sceptile and Gardevoir were waiting for us.

"Good, you finally arrived," said Queen Florges, "approach my throne, quickly."

We did as told.

"I'm not going to mince words," said Queen Florges, "and as you've undoubtedly guessed, this

isn't a pleasure summons. There is a matter that needs dealt with right now that requires as much

help as I can find."

"This better not be one of your recruitment schemes," said Sceptile.

"Would you let that go?" Asked Queen Florges, "Would I have sent them a priority summons if I

meant to do that?"

"Give it a rest right now, Sceptile," said Gardevoir, "let's hear her out."

"We have a major crisis happening right now-," began Queen Florges.

Then a large Pokémon crashed through the ceiling, knocked back by an attack and then he flew

off again.

"A war has started!" Said Queen Florges.

"A war?" I asked.

"I keep telling you, we are not-," began Sceptile.

"Soldiers! I know!" Said Queen Florges, "this is not a typical war, it is a massacre! in the fields

of Gilt, to the southwest, legions of enraged Pokémon have appeared, and have started killing

everyone and everything!" 

"What?!" Said Ivy.

"Townspeople and teams from all over the world have started fighting the enraged Pokémon,

with little success!" Said Queen Florges, "and every time we suffer one casualty, two more

Pokémon become enraged! I've already sent as many soldiers as I can spare, but they're fighting

an uphill battle!"

"You want us to fight out there and then get killed?!" Asked Fluffi.

"No, this all started when two enraged legends, Thundurus and the one you just seen, Tornadus

started fighting, and then violence just erupted!" Said Queen Florges, "what I need your team to

do is to defeat those two legends. As for the guild, I want you to figure out some way to calm

everyone else down.

"We can do that," said Gardevoir, "Meloetta has recently offered her services to the guild."

"Team Dragoon will you-?" Began Queen Florges, but then a few enraged Pokémon broke into

the throne room, but were quickly taken care of.

"We don't have a choice now," I said, "plus, Xerneas will want this taken care of, let's go team!"

We left the palace and arrived at a hill overlooking the battlefield and the guild members and

apprentices joined the fray while Meloetta sang. We ran to the top of the hill and looked at the

scene before us.

What we seen shocked us, it was as if the entire audience from our graduation exam got into one

giant free-for-all. Everyone was fighting each other and there was so much confusion that no one could distinguish ally from enemy. Each Pokémon looked ready to fight to the death and there were quite a lot of bodies littering the battlefield.

Then, we seen two human-like Pokémon, whose bottom halves were hidden by clouds. Those two had to be Tornadus and Thundurus. We had to defeat them, but we would have to go through the battlefield to do so. I couldn't fly everyone and Jirachi couldn't help either due to needing complete concentration to do so. So we had no choice but to go through the battling Pokémon.

We spent the better part of an hour breaking through the fighting Pokémon. We finally did so,

but had to deal with an enraged Team Clandestine along the way. I thought they were in prison.

Anyway, we made it to the midst of the battle, where Tornadus and Thundurus were fighting and

attacked both of them. Tornadus turned on us and attacked.

"Iron Tail!" Yelled Tornadus, who whipped his tail-like thing at me, but I dodged.

"Thunder!" Yelled Thundurus, which I wasn't so lucky with as both Tornadus and I were shocked.

"Dragon Pulse!" Ivy and I yelled.

Ivy and I hit Tornadus and Thundurus with our attacks respectively.

"Thunder Punch!" Yelled Fluffi, but Tornadus merely flew up out of her reach.

"HYPER VOICE!" Roared Pyroar, attacking both of the dueling legends with sound waves.

Jirachi held Thundurus in place with Psychic, allowing Duran to hit him with Stone Edge.

"Air Slash!" Yelled Tornadus, getting Pyroar back for that attack, "Incinerate!"

That second attack blasted a fireball right at Thundurus's face.

"You'll pay for that insult! Charge Beam!" Yelled Thundurus, grilling Tornadus.

Then Thundurus hit Jirachi with Flash Cannon and then grabbed Duran and flew towards heaven, planning on using Sky Drop. I took to the air with Fly and hit Thundurus with Focus Blast, causing him to drop Duran, whom Jirachi quickly helped to a safe landing.

"Drain Punch!" Yelled Fluffi.

"Aqua Tail!" Yelled Ivy

The two girls landed a nice combo on Tornadus.

"Flame Charge!" Yelled Pyroar, slamming Tornadus with a flame-cloaked charge.

Duran, who was still falling, finished up the round by hitting Thundurus with Aerial Ace.

"Hurricane!" Yelled Tornadus.

"Charge Beam!" Yelled Thundurus.

The two Pokémon's attacks met and clashed in midair, with neither side giving an inch.

"Drake, now's your chance! Mega Evolve!" Yelled Fluffi.

"Um... how?" I asked.

"For the love of-," said Fluffi, "try doing what Sceptile and Gardevoir did!"

"Okay," I said, in truth I didn't remember what they did, so I decided to wing it.

I touched the bangle, nothing. Wait, they said something didn't they?

"Ancient power that has existed before the dawn of time, awaken now!" I yelled, "Mega Evolve!"

Then an orb of energy enveloped me and before I knew it, I had Mega Evolved into Mega Charizard X.

"Wow, it worked!" Said Fluffi.

I glared at Fluffi.

"Not that I had any doubt!" Said Fluffi, quickly, "please don't eat me!"

"Drake, we'll get Thundurus!" Said Ivy, "You handle Tornadus!"

"Blast Burn!" I yelled.

"Frenzy Plant!" Yelled Ivy.

I launched a large fireball at Tornadus and a bunch of large roots erupted from the ground and raced toward Thundurus. The attacks hit their targets as countless roots tore through Thundurus and Tornadus exploded. The two Pokémon then lie defeated on the ground and a few Pokémon were losing their enraged state. Then, we found another Pokémon, similar to Tornadus and Thundurus racing toward us, stopping over the defeated forms of Tornadus and Thundurus.

"I am Landorus! It was you who started this battle wasn't it?!" the Pokémon roared.

"No! it was those two!" I yelled.

"Don't lie! You lured them out so you could defeat them! Prepare for punishment!" Landorus roared.

Landorus used Earthquake and attacked all of us and the battling Pokémon and due to their type or ability, only a few Pokémon managed to avoid it, I was still Mega Evolved, by the way, so I wasn't immune.

"Bounce!" Yelled Pyroar, jumping into the air, "Solar Beam!"

Pyroar managed to hit Landorus from midair with that move, and since one of the other battling Pokémon had used Sunny Day, he didn't have to waste a turn to use it.

"Water Pulse!" Yelled Jirachi, barely missing Landorus, but Duran was quick to make up for his teammate with Iron Tail.

"Bounce!" Yelled Fluffi, taking a leaf from Pyroar's book.

Both Ivy and I were recharging, so we couldn't attack that round.

"Fly!" Yelled Landorus, flying high into the sky just in time to avoid being hit by Pyroar and Fluffi's bounce attacks.

"Fly!" I yelled as well, taking the fight with Landorus to the skies.

Jirachi hit Landorus with Thunderbolt, doing nothing as Landorus was a Ground Type, but that was only a distraction as Jirachi followed up with Flash Cannon.

"Aqua Tail!" Yelled Duran, slamming Landorus to the ground after being helped up by Jirachi.

Though, he had just been brought to the earth, he was still too fast for Ivy to come nowhere near hitting Landorus with her own Aqua Tail or Iron Tail.

"Brick Break!" Yelled Landorus, trying to hit me with a chop, but my aerial maneuverability was too much for him at that moment.

I saw an opening and then I took it, finishing Landorus off with a Dragon Pulse to the back.

After Landorus had been defeated, we stayed behind to fight the few remaining enraged Pokémon until all had calmed down and everyone went their own ways. The guild went back to Yggdrasil to see what must be done next, but we alone remained at the battlefield. Jirachi flew away for a moment to view the stars, which could be seen now due to it being nightfall. The rest of us scoured the bodies to find any familiar faces and to try to help out any remaining survivors, but we didn't find any familiar Pokémon, dead or alive other than what I had already mentioned. It wasn't long after that before a frantic looking Jirachi came back.

"We must return to the cottage and go to Starshown Ruins!" Said Jirachi, "Something is headed towards the planet!"


	23. Chapter XXIII: A Herald of Doom

Chapter XXIII: A Herald of Doom

No one asked Jirachi what she seen heading towards the planet. We just knew that if it was the great destroyer Uxie had seen, we had to defeat it. We went through the Magnagate back to Furfrou and Ninetails's cottage and then set off in the direction that Jirachi led us; toward Starshown Ruins.

"We have to go through a few Mystery Dungeons to get there," explained Jirachi, "the first one is Mystifying Forest."

We went through Mystifying Forest, encountering only weak Pokémon on the way. It didn't take long for us to get through the dungeon, then we fell down a hole.

"Who placed that there!?" I asked.

"Prepare for trouble, it wasn't us if that's what you were thinking."

"And make it double, if this is the last time we're mentioned I'll be a' aching."

"To protect the world from devastation."

"To unite all peoples within our nation."

"To denounce the evils of truth and love."

"To extend our reach to the stars above."

"Jesse."

"James."

"Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light."

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight, fight and fight."

"Meowth, that's right!"

"Wobbuffet!"

"What is it with you four and big holes?" Asked Fluffi.

"I'm not even going to comment on that statement," said Ivy.

"Actually, we didn't make this hole," said James.

"We just used what was already there," said Meowth.

"Who knows who dug it?" Asked Jesse.

"Wobbuffet!"

Duran picked up an old apple core from the bottom of the hole.

"Why are all these Perfect Apple cores lying around?" Asked Duran.

"Drake, what's the plan?" Asked Pyroar, "we can get up, but then, we'd be sitting Duckletts."

"Jirachi, do the thing!" I said.

Jirachi used her psychic powers to pull Team Rocket into the hole with us.

"Oof!" Said Team Rocket.

"So you want to fight do you?" Asked Jesse. 

"We'll happily oblige," said James.

"I am the Grand Master of Darkness!" Said Meowth, "Yoom-Tah!"

"Wobbuffet!"

"Meowth?" Asked Jesse.

"Huh?" Asked Meowth, "that was weird, where'd that come from?"

"Never mind that now," said James, "we've some twerps to fight!"

Before anyone else could react, I blasted James with Blast Burn.

"Whoa, little quick to the trigger aren't you there, Drake?" Asked Jirachi.

"I'll teach you to take a cheap shot at me!" Yelled James, who then tried to hit me with Foul Play. However, I caught him mid attack and used his own momentum to slam him into the ground.

Jesse ran at me, charging up Solarbeam as she ran, but I caught her by the arm and spun her around, causing her to fire the attack at James and Meowth, KOing James. I then threw Jesse in Meowth's way, causing him to accidently hit Jesse with Shadow Claw.

"MEOWTH!" Yelled Jesse.

"I'm sorry Jesse!" Pleaded Meowth.

"Wobbuffet!"

Meowth was slammed into a wall by Jesse's Psychic attack, causing a KO.

"Wow, today, Team Rocket are their own worst enemies," said Ivy.

Fluffi hit Jesse with Thunder Punch, slamming her into James and Meowth, and causing another KO, now only Wobbuffet remained.

"Wobba? Wobba? Wobbuffet!"

Wobbuffet climbed up the hole as fast as he could and took off, leaving Jesse James and Meowth to fend for themselves.

"Thunderbolt!" Yelled Jirachi.

The attack hit Team Rocket, minus Wobbuffet and sent them blasting off.

"Traitorous blob!" Said Jesse.

"You would've done the same thing!" Said James.

"At least he's spared from this next part," said Meowth.

"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!"

*Twinkle*

"Now that the sideshow is over with," said Pyroar, "let's get going."

We escaped the hole and continued on until we found a freshwater spring, but we had no time for a drink, so we entered a nearby, but hidden cave that Jirachi shown us. This was the next Mystery Dungeon, the Cave of Ancient Waters. We travelled through until Ivy stopped us, to lead us to an adjacent chamber within the cave.

"Just as I thought!" Said Ivy, "this room is lousy with Mega Stones!"

"Really?" I asked.

"Yes," said Ivy, "if you give me a moment, I can find the most useful ones to us."

Then, something emerged from a nearby underground lake with a violent splash.

"Kyogre!" Yelled Jirachi.

"Trespassers be gone!" Yelled Kyogre, who then tried to hit us with Ice Beam, but we dodged. She then used Primal Reversion to turn into Primal Kyogre!

"As I said, trespassers be gone!" Yelled Primal Kyogre.

"Kyogre wasn't at the meeting, so she doesn't know what's going on," said Jirachi.

"We must fight!" I said and then used Fly.

Due to Kyogre's Primordial Sea ability, it started really raining inside the cave.

"Fire Type moves are useless now!" Said Jirachi.

Jirachi then hit Primal Kyogre with Thunderbolt.

"Aerial Ace!" Yelled Duran, delivering a blow right to Primal Kyogre's forehead.

Pyroar started charging up Solarbeam.

"Thunder Punch!" Yelled Fluffi.

"Frenzy Plant!" Yelled Ivy.

Fluffi punched Primal Kyogre with an electrically-charged fist and Ivy whipped Kyogre with massive tree roots.

"Earthquake!" Yelled Primal Kyogre, hitting everyone except for me due to my Type, she then leapt out of the water and landed a Brick Break attack on me.

I landed my Fly attack on Primal Kyogre and then, trusting Jirachi, I didn't use Blast Burn, but instead I used Dragon Pulse.

"Psychic!" Yelled Jirachi.

"Stone Edge!" Yelled Duran.

Jirachi held Primal Kyogre still with her attack for a moment before the legend broke free and escaped Duran's attack.

"Solar Beam!" Yelled Pyroar, grilling Primal Kyogre.

"Drain Punch!" Yelled Fluffi, but the legend idly flicked Fluffi aside with her fin.

"Origin Pulse!" Yelled Primal Kyogre, who the hit us with countless beams of blue light.

"Kyogre, I'm sorry we're trespassing on your territory," I said, "but we must to save the world!"

"Jirachi, elaborate," said Primal Kyogre.

Jirachi explained the situation with Uxie's vision, Xerneas's warning and why we were travelling through this cave, when we had finished, Kyogre returned to her normal state.

"I see," said Kyogre, "I couldn't leave this cave due to my duties guarding the stones here. I will leave this place and visit Xerneas. You may partake of as many Mega Stones as you need in my absence, but take too much and you may expect another visit from me."

Kyogre disappeared back into the lake and Ivy quickly gathered up a few Mega Stones and then we left the cave and entered into the Mystery Dungeon, Starshown Precipice. After fight numerous strong Pokémon, we made it through that dungeon and arrive at the center of Starshown Ruins.

We looked up into the starry sky, looking for the being that Jirachi claimed was headed toward the planet. It wasn't long at all before we found something. A pale purple orb of light shown in the sky and quickly darted around the night sky, much like a few UFO sightings from the human world.

"What in the world is that?" Asked Fluffi.

Then, the light got super bright and blinded us for a moment and then we found ourselves surrounded by Elgyem and Beheeyem, who slowly floated toward us.

"Alien invasion!" I yelled.

"To arms!" Yelled Pyroar.

"What are aliens?" Asked Ivy.

"Extraterrestrial beings that abduct sentient life to stick probes in their anuses!" I said.

"That's disgusting!" Said Duran.

"If you don't want that to happen to you, you'll fight!" Said Pyroar.

No one argued anymore about the situation, we just attacked and did our best to push the Elgyem and Beheeyem back, but every time we took one down, two more would appear. We didn't care, we just didn't want to be abducted and probed. Eventually, the Pokémon stopped trying to get us and floated backward toward the edges of the ruins. Then the orb of light, that was still in the sky by the way, touched down upon the planet and turned into a Pokémon that not even Jirachi had ever seen before.

"What is that thing?" Asked Fluffi.

"I am Deoxys," the Pokémon said in an alien voice.

"That's what I seen approaching the planet," said Jirachi.

"Good, let's give it the boot!" I said.

"I'm not here to-" began Deoxys, but Duran attacked it.

"What are you-?" Asked Deoxys.

"Get off this planet and take your probes with you!" I said.

"We don't have any- Arceus, that's disgusting!" Said Deoxys.

Fluffi attacked and just barely missed Deoxys.

"I guess if words won't sway you, I'll have to use force!" Said Deoxys.

Deoxys switched to Attack Forme and tried to hit me with Shadow Ball, which I dodged.

"Flame Charge!" Yelled Pyroar.

Deoxys reduced the damage from Pyroar's attack by switching to Defense Forme.

"Thunder Punch!" Yelled Fluffi.

"Thunderbolt!" Yelled Jirachi.

Deoxys, still in Defense Form endured the blows quite easily.

"Iron Tail!" Yelled Ivy and Duran.

Deoxys switched to Speed Forme and easily dodged the blows.

"Dragon Pulse!" I yelled, barely managing to hit Deoxys.

Deoxys then switched back to Normal Forme.

"Listen to me!" Said Deoxys, "I'm here to help save your planet!"

"From what?" I asked.

"It seems you really do not know, there is a drag-" began Deoxys, but then it dodged a surprise Ice Beam from a familiar-looking green dragon.

"GRAAAH!" Roared the dragon.

"Rayquaza! What are you doing!?" Yelled Jirachi.

"This Pokémon had breached my territory and must pay the ultimate price!" Roared Rayquaza.

"I'll explain later," said Deoxys, "right now, I must take care of this first!"

Rayquaza tried to hit Deoxys with Shadow Claw, but missed due to Speed Forme. Deoxys switched to Attack Forme and hit Rayquaza with Aerial Ace.

"We'll help too!" Said Ivy, who then, hit Rayquaza with Dragon Pulse.

"Flash Cannon!" Yelled Jirachi, her attack easily avoided by Rayquaza.

"Aerial Ace!" Yelled Duran, delivering a blow that Rayquaza couldn't dodge.

Fluffi and Pyroar used Bounce and I used Fly.

"Ice Beam!" Yelled Rayquaza, whose damage was reduced by Deoxys's Defense Form.

"Psychic!" Yelled Jirachi and Deoxys.

"Iron Tail!" Yelled Ivy and Duran.

Everyone's attacks hit Rayquaza, even Fluffi, Pyroar and I as we landed our Bounce and Fly attacks.

"It appears I must use my full strength with you!" Said Rayquaza, "Dragon Ascent!"

Rayquaza flew into the air and then rammed into us at high speeds. When I finally could see again, I noticed that Rayquaza's form had changed. Rayquaza was now Mega Rayquaza!

"Take this!" Said Mega Rayquaza, "Draco Meteor!"

We all started dodging the asteroids that fell, and Deoxys was trying to hit Mega Rayquaza with Brick Break while doing so. As the meteors fell, we all attacked Mega Rayquaza and him, us. When the attack had finished, Jirachi got in the middle of us.

"ALL OF YOU STOP FIGHTING THIS INSTANT!" Jirachi shrieked, "Deoxys, tell us why you're here to begin with."

"Very well," said Deoxys, who then reverted into Normal Forme.

"You'd better have a good reason," said Mega Rayquaza, who then also reverted to normal.

The Elgyem and Beheeyem were already gone.

"I believe there is a Pokémon on this planet known as Xerneas," said Deoxys.

"Yes," I said.

"Good, Xerneas needs to hear this as well, take me to her," said Deoxys.

"Okay, said Jirachi.

"I'll be keeping my eye on you though," said Rayquaza.

"It's all the same to me," said Deoxys.

"By the way, I can't really tell," said Fluffi, "are you male or female?"

"Fluffi!" Said Ivy, "not the time or place!"

"Male," said Deoxys.


	24. Chapter XXIV: Amnesia's End

Chapter XXIV: Amnesia's End

We eventually arrived at Yggdrasil and made our way to Xerneas's chamber. Ivy had finished preparing the Mega Stones for us on the way. My bangle had a Charizardite Y added to it, Fluffi was equipped with a necklace with a Lopunnite in it and Duran got a ring on his tail with an Aggronite in it. We arrived at Xerneas's chamber, which she clearly did not expect.

"Team Dragoon? Rayquaza? Why are you here?" Asked Xerneas, "and whose this?"

"My apologizes, Xerneas. My name is Deoxys and I bring news from the edge of the solar system," said Deoxys, "but, I fear none of it is good."

"Tell us, we can handle it," said Xerneas.

"I'm more worried about why you had to invade my territory like this," said Rayquaza.

"Stuff a sock in it about your territory, all right?!" I said.

"Don't push your luck, meat," said Rayquaza.

"Shut up, both of you!" Said Fluffi.

"Deoxys, you may begin," said Jirachi.

"This will be kind of long," said Deoxys, "out far beyond this galaxy, there was a planet full of life, like this one. One of these creatures somehow got extreme power and size and, therefore grew to the size of this tree. However the power made it insane and it started going on a rampage and devouring anything and everything it could."

"That's terrible," said Ivy.

"It gets worse, I'm afraid," said Deoxys, "this creature grew in size and power with everything it ate. The hunger of this creature was so intense that the planet eventually had no more life left on it. By this time, the creature was big enough that it resolved to just devour the entire planet. It ate every planet in its way, moving through space until eventually, that galaxy had ceased to be."

"No one tried to stop it?" Asked Pyroar.

"No one could," said Deoxys, "this creature eventually came to my planet and devoured it too. It was at that day, it earned the name Tuskmadorogg, which, in my people's language meant 'Tusked Destroyer Dragon'."

"I'm very sorry your planet has been destroyed, but what does this have to do with us?" Asked Duran.

"Before, Tuskmadorogg had moved from planet to planet only seeking to satisfy its insatiable appetite for destruction," said Deoxys, "but now, its headed straight for this planet as if something has steered it this way."

"So, Tuskmadorogg or whatever is headed this way?!" I asked.

"Yes," said Deoxys, "it is not very far away now and has almost entered this solar system."

"How long will it take to get here?" Asked Jirachi.

"About two weeks, this planet's time," said Deoxys,

"Not that far away," said Ivy.

"You've already felt its approach in the form of the Accursed Ones," said Deoxys.

"What do they have to do with it?" Asked Duran.

"The Accursed Ones are like Tuskmadorogg's homing device," said Deoxys, "they appear on whatever planet Tuskmadorogg has its sights on next to act as heralds of that planet's doom."

"This planet's death is near," said Pyroar.

"How would you recommend we stop it?" Asked Xerneas.

"Our only chance is to lead the inhabitants of this planet into an organized assault into space against Tuskmadorogg," said Deoxys.

"We can't breathe in space like you can," I said.

"A few of us can, like me," said Rayquaza.

"I can supply a few of you with a shield that can allow you to breathe in space, but not everyone on the planet," said Deoxys.

"Not to worry everyone," said Xerneas, "I have a plan, but I need to recruit the help of a few Pokémon, namely, Dialga, Palkia, Mew and Mewtwo. Rayquaza, will you get everyone else together?"

"I can," said Rayquaza, "I did a lot of recruiting before all this as well."

"What can we do?" Asked Fluffi.

"Help out with the recruiting," said Xerneas, "you will pair up with Deoxys during the assault, so he'll be with you until then. Is that alright?"

No one argued, so we all left with Xerneas's promise that we'll be contacted when we form up for the assault against Tuskmadorogg. However, as soon as we left Yggdrasil, we were met by Cresselia.

"I heard everything," said Cresselia, "this Tuskmadorogg sounds like a nasty piece of work."

"You have no idea," said Deoxys.

"So Giratina had nothing to do with this...," said Cresselia.

"And you made me beat up an innocent Pokémon, thanks a lot, Cresselia!" I said. 

"Giratina still needed to be-," began Cresselia, but then an unfamiliar wave of darkness hit us all.

"What was that?" Asked Ivy. 

"This darkness... it couldn't be!" Said Cresselia.

"What is it?" Asked Fluffi.

"Suffice it to say, I need your help again," said Cresselia, "HE has returned."

Cresselia started floating off at a high speed and so, we had to struggle to keep up. Eventually, we had arrived at a dark Mystery Dungeon that looked to have several magma flows running through it.

"This is the Dark Crater," said Cresselia, "I hope you're ready for a fight."

Cresselia headed in without another word and we followed. We had to fight Fire and Dark Types all the way down to the bottom of the Mystery Dungeon. At the bottom, it looked like the crater of a volcano due to the massive amounts of magma before us and everyone was sweating and struggling with the heat, even Pyroar and I, but to less of an extent than everyone else.

 _"Welcome."_

An unfamiliar Pokémon appeared before us.

"Darkrai! What are you doing here?"

"Cresselia," said Darkrai, "I'm here to exact a little revenge on you for stopping my plans with Dialga and Palkia."

"How do you know my name or know about Dialga and Palkia?" Asked Cresselia, "Is your memory back?"

"Yes, no thanks to you," said Darkrai.

"Is this really the time for your revenge? There is a whole apocalypse scenario to deal with!" I said.

"I know, I'll destroy Cresselia and then use the monster seeking to destroy us as my tool as I carve a path of darkness throughout the entire universe!" Said Darkrai.

"You'd think we'd let you?!" I asked.

"Drake, who are we kidding?" Asked Fluffi.

"Fluffi?" I asked.

"We don't stand a chance against Tuskmadorogg or Darkrai, it'd be better to join the winning side," said Fluffi.

"Fluffi!" I yelled. 

"If you want to join me, then, I will, of course, oblige," said Darkrai.

Fluffi walked over to Darkrai's side and was soon joined by Duran, Ivy, Jirachi and even Pyroar.

"Everyone?" I asked

"And when you join me, the first thing we do would be to get rid of Cresselia there," said Darkrai.

"Excuse me?!" Asked Cresselia.

"And her weird alien friend," said Darkrai.

"I've been called worse," said Deoxys.

"Come on, Drake," said Ivy.

"Make the smart move," said Jirachi.

"Who cares about the world?" Asked Duran.

"A land of darkness, all to ourselves," said Fluffi.

"So what will it be?" Asked Darkrai.

I chuckled a little.

"Drake?" Asked Fluffi.

"Your little deception is amusing," I said, "I know my friends better than you think I do. Dragon Pulse!"

I fired my attack at Darkrai and hit him dead center in the chest. The illusion then faded and then

Darkrai lashed back out at me.

"The last time I felt this... you're a human, aren't you?!" Asked Darkrai.

"I see you're familiar with an Etherlight wound," I said, "yes, I'm a human, but so is Pyroar over there."

"I was so close to converting you over to my side," said Darkrai.

"You know nothing about humans, Darkrai," said Cresselia, "you were nowhere near converting him."

"Time to do this the old fashioned way," said Darkrai, "Sableye, show yourselves!"

We were then surrounded by countless Sableye.

"Wheh-heh-heh!"

"This is so like you Darkrai!" Said Cresselia.

"I'll take that as a compliment. Sableye, swarm them!" Said Darkrai.

"Wheh-heh-heh!"

"Break through the Sableye and get Darkrai!" I yelled.

"Use your Mega Stones!" Said Jirachi.

We touched our Mega Stones.

"Ancient power that has existed before the dawn of time, awaken now!" Duran, Fluffi and I yelled, "Mega Evolve!"

Duran Mega Evolved into Mega Aggron, Fluffi Mega Evolved into Mega Lopunny and I Mega Evolved into Mega Charizard Y.

"Wheh-heh-heh?"

"Amazing," said Fluffi.

"This power, is this what it feels like to you?" Asked Duran.

"Yes, it's kind of like a drug," I said, "but more on that later, team attack!"

"I say again, Sableye, swarm them!" Said Darkrai.

"But, master Darkrai-!" Said a Sableye.

"Either die to them or die to me!" Said Darkrai.

There were so many Sableye that even with the Mega Evolution boost, we had a tough time breaking through. I lost sight of my teammates early on, but after a little bit of fighting, I managed to break through to where Darkrai was.

"Darkrai!" I yelled.

"Looks like you're victim number 1," said Darkrai.

"That's what you think! Dragon Pulse!" I yelled.

Darkrai dodged and then hit me with Dark Pulse.

"Focus Blast!" I yelled, taking advantage in the momentary lapse in his defenses.

Then, Darkrai hit me with Charge Beam and finally Sludge Bomb.

"You cannot defeat me!" said Darkrai.

"Oh yeah? Blast Bur-"

"Dark Void!"

I fell asleep and I had a dream, well, a nightmare really. I seen all my fears come before me and coalesce into a nightmare so frightening that I won't even bother writing it down. I can't bring myself to live through that again. Eventually, I woke up and found Darkrai, fainted and laying on the ground with his head underneath my claw.

"Huh? What happened?" I asked and then I looked back, "Not again! I'm getting Feuervogel flashbacks."

"Drake? You toss and turn in your sleep as well?" Asked Jirachi.

"Wheh-heh-heh?"

"Master Darkrai has fallen! Run!" Yelled a Sableye and then they all ran out of the dungeon.

"Way to go Drake!" Said Fluffi, who then sniffed the air, "what's that smell?"

"Nothing! Let's just get out of here!" I said and then pushed everyone but Cresselia out, who insisted on staying behind and dealing with Darkrai.

We left the Dark Crater and returned to our Team's base. About a week had passed since then. We let everyone, including the guild know what was happening and did as much recruiting as we could. Then, on a Thursday, we were outside at night, planning our assault on Tuskmadorogg, when I noticed something unusual with the night sky.

"Where is it?" I asked.

"Where is what?" Asked Fluffi.

"The Kingler conciliation, I can't find it!" I said.

"I couldn't find any of the conciliations anyway," said Duran, "maybe you just lost sight of it?"

"Does any of this really matter?" Asked Pyroar, "we should get back to planning."

"No, I didn't lose it, the stars just disappeared!" I said.

"What?!" Said Jirachi, who instantly fixed her gaze on the spot I was looking at, "it's true!

Kingler, the North Star and even the Big Beldum, all gone!"

"What does it mean?" Asked Ivy.

"It means we are nearly out of time," said Deoxys.

"What?" Asked Ivy.

"What you are seeing is a shadow blocking the stars," said Deoxys, " Tuskmadorogg is almost here."

"How long?" I asked.

"Two days," said Deoxys, "at most."

"It hasn't been two weeks yet!" Said Fluffi.

"Tuskmadorogg is faster than its ever been," said Deoxys, "we need to mount our assault now."

"Wait right here," said Jirachi, "Deoxys and I will let Xerneas know what's what."

As soon as they had vanished, a massive, icy dragon had landed to the ground in our midst with a crash and gave a roar.

"Who's that?" I asked.

"Kyurem, a legendary Pokémon and supposedly both the strongest Dragon Type and Ice Type in existence," said Pyroar, "Even stronger than both Dialga and Palkia. Which means he's probably the strongest Pokemon on the planet."

"And I heard that Kyurem isn't even at full strength," said Ivy.

"But why is he here?" Asked Fluffi.

"You know, it's rather rude to talk about someone when they're right in front of you," said Kyurem.

"Okay, why are you here?" Asked Fluffi.

"To test you," said Kyurem, "if you cannot beat me, then you will stand no chance against Tuskmadorogg!"

"I hate tests," said Duran.

"Well, ask and ye shall receive!" I said.

"Why do ye speaketh Old Pokéspeak?" Asked Fluffi.

"Son of a- just attack the dragon!" I said.

I used Fly and then Focus Blast, but Kyurem jumped out the way.

"Okay! Okay!" Said Fluffi.

Fluffi used Return, but it didn't seem to do much to Kyurem.

"Frenzy Plant!" Yelled Ivy, causing many gigantic tree roots to erupt from the ground and flay Kyurem.

"Earth Power!" Yelled Kyurem, causing the ground to erupt under our feet, damaging everyone but me, due to my Flying Type status.

"Aerial Ace!" Yelled Duran, colliding with Kyurem at high speeds.

"Glaciate!" Yelled Kyurem.

The air suddenly got colder and before we knew it we were hit with a barrage of freezing winds from Kyurem. Pyroar and I used our powers over fire to keep everyone warm, as little help as that provided.

"I've had enough!" I said and then I Mega Evolved into Mega Charizard X.

"Blast Burn!" I yelled and then fired the attack at Kyurem, who avoided damage by changing into White Kyurem.

"He changed form?!" I asked.

"Yes, now he's White Kyurem!" Said Ivy, "with power over fire!"

We'll see about that!" Said Fluffi, who then hit White Kyurem with Thunder Punch.

White Kyurem then started chasing Fluffi around with Dragon Claw.

"Someone save me!" Yelled Fluffi.

"Solar Beam!" Yelled Pyroar blasting White Kyurem out of the air.

"Stone Edge!" Yelled Duran, skewering White Kyurem with rocky spires as soon as he had landed.

White Kyurem just picked himself off the ground as if the attacks did nothing to him.

"This is the team that Xerneas is relying on?" Asked White Kyurem.

"I know, right?" Said Pyroar.

"Pyroar!" Said Ivy.

"I calls it like I sees it," said Pyroar.

Then, some tendril-like things emerged from Kyurem's shoulders and entered into his tail.

"Ice Burn!" Yelled Kyurem, who then sent tentacles of flame after us that froze whatever they touched.

We all dodged as best we could, but Duran got frozen. He managed to Mega Evolve into Mega Aggron to escape, and then Fluffi jumped on the bandwagon as well and Mega Evolved into Mega Lopunny and then hit White Kyurem with Thunder Punch, which he avoided by, you guessed it, changing form again.

"Kyurem just changed into-" began Ivy.

"Let me guess, Black Kyurem?" I asked.

"How did you know?" Asked Ivy.

"Lucky guess," I said.

"Freeze Shock!" Yelled Kyurem, who then launched an electrically charged boulder of ice at us, which we all managed to dodge.

"Pyroar! Time for that technique we've been working on!" I said.

"Right!" Said Pyroar.

"Lost Etheresta!" Pyroar and I yelled.

I used Dragon Claw and the Etherlight to turn my forearm and claw into a glowing blade of energy and Pyroar used Flame Charge and the Etherlight to turn himself into a glowing, burning spear of energy. We darted around the battlefield and hit Black Kyurem with a barrage of blows.

"Solar Flare!" Pyroar and I yelled, blasting Black Kyurem with a combined Blast Burn and Solar Beam attack.

The attack caused Black Kyurem to blow up, but when the smoke settled, there Kyurem stood, in normal form, apparently unscathed.

"What? How?" I asked.

"We put everything into that attack!" Said Pyroar.

"Reviver Seed," said Kyurem.

"You're kidding!" Said Fluffi.

"The battle is over," said Kyurem, "you pass the test. Though, I would suggest that you start your fight against Tuskmadorogg Mega Evolved."

"Are you sure?" Asked Duran, "if we kept going, you'd probably win."

"The goal wasn't to win, merely to test," said Kyurem, "you have the strength necessary to defeat our foe."


	25. Chapter XXV: Spitting in Destiny's Face

Chapter XXV: Spitting in Destiny's Face

We sat there on the ground, exhausted by the fight we just had with Kyurem, though we were soon joined by Deoxys, Jirachi, Xerneas and the guild, the latter of which was unusually quiet.

"Kyurem, are you antagonizing the protagonists again?" Asked Xerneas.

"No, I merely tested their strength," said Kyurem, "I wasn't convinced they had what it took to defeat our foe."

"You doubted my powers of selection?" Asked Xerneas.

"No, I doubted their power and conviction to stand in the way of destiny," said Kyurem.

"What do you mean destiny?" Asked Fluffi.

"Though I'm not a Psychic Type, I have the power to see the fates of individual Pokémon and the world as a whole," said Kyurem, "and I seen all of you perishing in your valiant struggle and the planet being swallowed whole."

"You've seen our doom...," said Ivy.

"Yes, I have seen it, so it is destined to happen," said Kyurem.

"Has your power ever been wrong?" I asked.

"Yes, a human, much like you, showed me how wrong it can be," said Kyurem, "that is why I'm going to fight this future along with all of you."

"Hate to interrupt," said Deoxys, "but the time for talk is past."

"He's right," said Jirachi.

"Deoxys, you will be heading the assault with Team Dragoon's assistance," said Xerneas, "I already contacted all the other Pokémon who'll be fighting alongside us. We'll follow your lead, so whenever you're ready to begin-"

"Right," said Deoxys, "everyone ready?"

We all nodded our heads yes.

"Wait," said Sceptile.

"What is it?" Asked Duran.

"I know, I'm not your Guildmaster anymore, but I just wanted to let you know that I give you my

permission to kill Tuskmadorogg," said Sceptile.

"Are you giving us the kill order?" I asked.

"No, I'm just letting you know that in order to save our world, it might be necessary," said Sceptile.

"We'd rather not, but if we have to, we will," said Pyroar.

"We can't delay any further," said Deoxys, who then surrounded us with an orb of pure psychic energy, "this will protect you from the vacuum of space, but I won't be able to attack while shielding you."

"Leave it to us!" I said.

Duran, Fluffi and I then Mega Evolved, I chose Mega Charizard X for this one because I didn't think a Flying Type advantage would matter in space.

We floated up and left the planet, heading to the edge of the solar system, with countless Pokémon following behind in a similar field of energy, except for a few Pokémon who could survive in space. This solar system seemed to be an exact duplicate to the one from the human world. We passed by Mars, went through the asteroid belt and then passed Jupiter and then Saturn.

"Heh, we just passed by Uranus," said Plusle, who was then promptly whacked by Minun.

"Oh, grow up already!" Said Minun.

Pokémon act just the same as humans it seems. Then, at the edge of the solar system, we went around a comet and we seen the biggest creature I'd ever seen before, it was even bigger than the earth, no, the sun!

To me this dragon looked like a Shelgon and Haxorus hybrid. It looked to be built more like a boar than a dragon, but its long tail let us know that it was indeed a dragon. Tuskmadorogg's front legs were twice as big as its back ones and were layered with massive jagged crystals and it lacked wings. Those crystals covered its body with the vast majority of them centered around its lower back. It was also covered in massive jagged scales, each bigger than a Wailord. However, the most obvious feature were its tusks which were attached to its lower jaw and stuck straight forward and then curved sharply upward like a elephant's tusks. All over Tuskmadorogg's body bore the scars of countless failed attempts to destroy it. Chunks of its body were even missing, but it kept on devouring.

"Uh, guys, ever get the feeling we've bit off more than we can chew?" I asked.

"Too late for second thoughts!" Said Pyroar.

Pyroar fired a Solar Beam at Tuskmadorogg but it seemed to hit some sort of invisible wall.

"I should've warned you," said Deoxys, " Tuskmadorogg has a sort of force field, we'll need to get everyone involved to destroy it!"

Then, Tuskmadorogg shot countless massive scales at us from its body. It was taking all of Deoxys's effort to dodge them all even after transforming into Speed Forme. We helped Deoxys out with our moves and even then we were almost hit by an asteroid. It seems that Tuskmadorogg had its own gravitational pull. After the Scale Shower (what I dubbed the attack) ended, most of the other Pokémon had joined us.

"Time to redouble our attack!" Said Duran.

"What's the plan?" Asked Gardevoir.

"Our foe has a force field, destroy that!" I said.

"Right, I'll relay the plan to everyone else!" Said Gardevoir.

Gardevoir used her psychic powers to issue the orders and then everyone attacked Tuskmadorogg. There were even a few legends in the mix, specifically, the Lake Trio, Moltres, Zapdos, Articuno, Lugia, Celebi, Cresselia, The Forces of Nature, Reshiram, Zekrom, Xerneas, Yveltal, Kyurem, Rayquaza and even Groudon and Kyogre. We, of course, were also attacking and apparently every other Pokémon on the planet was fighting as well. Every once in a while, Tuskmadorogg would use a move that looked kind of like Protect and twice it used Recover, but we still kept on attacking, and quite a few of all the Pokémon attacking had to pop a few Max Elixirs to avoid using Struggle.

"GRAWWRGH!" Roared Tuskmadorogg, so loudly that it made me momentarily deaf.

Tuskmadorogg roared and sent several of the asteroids, orbiting around it colliding into us. Of course, we did our best to dodge, but several of us weren't so lucky. Luckily, Tuskmadorogg had to recharge after that attack, letting us take some valuable breathing room. This round, we did a lot more damage, due to a few more legends joining the fray, namely, Ho-oh, Raikou, Suicune, Latios, Latias, Regirock, Regice, Registeel, Regigigas, Heatran and Diancie. Wait, that reminds me...

"I must be the dumbest Pokémon here," I said.

"Why?" Asked Jirachi.

"I forgot I had this," I said and then took the Prison Bottle out of my bag.

"Are you serious?!" Asked Fluffi, "You forgot THAT?!"

"Did YOU remember?" I asked.

"Good point," said Fluffi.

"We don't need HIM," said Jirachi.

"You've just been overruled, Jirachi," said Ivy.

I opened the Prison Bottle's stopper and then Hoopa emerged from it.

"Hey Starbreeze and boss, what's up?" Asked Hoopa.

"Call me that again...," said Jirachi.

"THAT'S why I summoned you," I said pointing to Tuskmadorogg.

"Not a problem!" said Hoopa, "I can just use my rings to send that dragon far away from here."

"Not an option," said Deoxys, "we must destroy it or history WILL repeat."

"Gotcha!" said Hoopa, "though, this needs my full power!"

Just then, a lot more energy erupted from the Prison Bottle and entered into Hoopa's body. Then Hoopa grew larger and grew more arms and transformed into Hoopa Unbound. Hoopa then, emerged from Deoxys's sphere and began attacking Tuskmadorogg and with Hoopa's help, the force field was destroyed.

"GRAWWRGH! EL'NRAGN BA KARR NOOEN KOTEPH!" Roared Tuskmadorogg.

"Okay, did anyone get that?" I asked.

After a unanimous head-shaking, acknowledging that no one understood what our foe had said, the crystals covering its body shot out at light speed, revealing gigantic tentacles covering Tuskmadorogg's body, tipped with the crystals. The tentacles had then began lashing out at us.

"Okay, now everyone, destroy the tentacles!" I said, which was soon broadcast by Gardevoir and the other Psychic Types.

 _"This, I cannot allow!"_

"What was that?" I asked.

 _"You've meddled in my affairs for long enough!"_

We were then caught inside time. Everything got frozen in time, except for the orb we were in. I honestly don't know how else to explain it. Then, everything got bigger except for us, or maybe we shrunk, and then an unfamiliar Pokémon appeared before us.

"Okay... what's with the llama?" I asked.

"I can't believe it," said Ivy, "Arceus?"

"Yes," said the Pokémon.

This llama-like Pokémon spoke with a voice that sounded neither male or female, but rather a voice that sounded like it was unfit for mortal ears.

"Uh... who's Arceus?" I asked.

"Only the Pokémon responsible for creating the universe!" Said Ivy.

"I cannot allow you to destroy Tuskmadorogg!" Said Arceus.

"Its trying to destroy the world!" Said Duran.

"I know, I set it upon your world!" Said Arceus.

"What?!" Yelled Fluffi.

"Tuskmadorogg may be a mindless beast, but it can be steered," said Arceus.

"Why would you destroy our home?" Asked Jirachi.

"Your people have grown selfish and the world has grown dark," said Arceus, "so for the good of the universe, some pruning is in order."

"Does that really warrant the total destruction of the planet?!" Asked Duran.

"Yes and then once I'm done here, the human world is next," said Arceus.

"You really think we'd let you do something this evil?!" Asked Pyroar.

"You have no choice," said Arceus, "you will die here and then both your planets shall be

destroyed. It is destiny for you to lose here." 

"Well, consider this spitting in destiny's face!" I yelled and then hit Arceus with Dragon Pulse.

"INSOLENT, INSUBORDINATE, WORM!" Roared Arceus, "JUDGMENT!"

Countless lasers rained from the sky and, though we tried, we couldn't avoid getting hit. We all took significant damage from the attack, but Duran and Jirachi took considerably less damage.

"Duran, time to counter attack!" Yelled Jirachi.

"Right! Aerial Ace!" Yelled Duran, who then landed an attack on Arceus's head.

"Flash Cannon!" Jirachi yelled, blasting Arceus with the attack, right as Duran jumped out of the way.

"Insolent!" Yelled Arceus, "Shadow Claw!"

I intercepted the attack with Focus Blast. This was bad, we were worn out from fighting Tuskmadorogg and now we had to fight Arceus.

 _"Drake! Pyroar!"_

It was a voice that I recognized, but I couldn't place the owner of said voice.

 _"Attack Arceus with the Etherlight! Trust me!"_

We decided to do as instructed and as we struck Arceus with our combined attack, we were brought out of whatever spell Arceus cast on us and were back inside Deoxys's sphere, full size and everything. Only difference was that Arceus was just outside the orb and was surrounded by several angry looking legends, namely Dialga, Palkia, Mew, and two identical Pokémon I didn't recognize and there was no orb at all, and every single Pokémon seemed to be doing just fine in the vacuum of space.

"Dialga, Palkia, Mew?" Asked Jirachi, "what's going on?"

"The five of us used our powers to let everyone survive out here long enough to destroy our foe," said Mew.

"You seven, continue fighting the dragon," said one of the two other Pokémon, whose voice Pyroar and I recognized as the one who spoke to us.

It then dawned on me, the Pokémon's name was Mewtwo!

"We'll deal with Arceus," said the other Mewtwo, who sounded female.

"Who are you two?" Asked Arceus, "I don't recognize you."

"We are called Mewtwo," said the male, "we were cloned from Mew's cells."

"And made to be the strongest Pokémon in the world," said the female Mewtwo.

"If Mew cannot defeat me what makes you think you can?" Asked Arceus.

"Beyond evolution! Mega Evolve!" Yelled the two Mewtwo.

The male Mewtwo transformed into Mega Mewtwo X and the female Mega Mewtwo Y.

"You shall not interfere!" Yelled Arceus.

Then Palkia and Dialga used their powers to teleport the six of them away.

"Get those shocked looks of your faces!" Said Deoxys, "We've a job to do!"

"We know! We know!" Said Fluffi.

"Where'd we leave off?" Asked Ivy.

Just then, we had to dodge out of the way of a tentacle.

"Does that answer your question?" Asked Deoxys.

We all then floated to the top of Tuskmadorogg to deal with the tentacles. Though as soon as we did so, the tentacles turned on us and fired a concentrated beam of golden energy at us. We managed to dodge it, however, a few Pokémon behind us weren't so lucky and suffered massive damage.

We attacked the tentacles and, with everyone's help, severed a few of them and slightly injured one.

"G'NARGH B'RA'DSH!" Roared Tuskmadorogg.

The tentacles then tried to crash into us with an attack similar to Heat Crash. A few Pokémon got hit including me, but I was shielding Jirachi then, so I didn't mind. Everyone unleashed a second wave of attacks and we severed a few more tentacles.

"VRARDSH!" Roared Tuskmadorogg.

The tentacles surrounded themselves with electricity and then hit us with a move that felt very much like Thunderbolt.

"G'RARGSH RADH LO'VE'R GOGHSST!"

The tentacles surrounded themselves with strange energy and cut into us. I don't know the attack's name, so I'll just dub it Tusk Claw.

"Psycho Cut!" Yelled Cresselia and Malamar (yes I didn't expect to be saved by a Team Clandestine member either)

Due to the double Psycho Cut move, the remaining tentacles were severed.

"Aim for the limbs now!" Yelled Deoxys.

This time it was Cresselia who relayed the orders and all who were still able to fight started firing on Tuskmadorogg's limbs.

Tuskmadorogg roared in its own alien language and then sent more asteroids after us. We dodged them, however, Ivy wasn't so lucky, taking one to the chest and suffering a KO.

"Why don't we ever carry Reviver Seeds?!" I asked.

"Don't ask me, _you're_ in charge of the finances," said Fluffi.

"I know better than to give them to _you,_ " I said.

"You two can fight like an old married couple later!" Said Duran, "apocalypse, happening now."

"All right, already!" Said Fluffi.

Our team decided to concentrate on Tuskmadorogg's left front leg. After we had launched our attacks and injured our foe, Tuskmadorogg used another Scale Shower hitting nearly all of us. We launched another series of attacks, doing a lot more damage due to several legends making a sweep of the left side.

"V'NARSH!" Roared Tuskmadorogg, using its entire body weight to slam everything on its left side, namely us.

This got Mega Rayquaza mad, so he helped us attack the left side, we done more damage and then Tuskmadorogg hit us with Shadow Claw, KOing Jirachi.

"Dragon Ascent!" Yelled Mega Rayquaza, then he hit the same limb we were targeting with the attack. However, he didn't destroy it, but it still looked like it wasn't going to be moving anytime soon.

"Now on to the right side, team!" Fluffi said, then we went around to the other side.

 _"The left limbs are no threat now!"_ broadcast Deoxys, _"Aim for the right limbs!"_

 _I don't think so! Judgment!"_

Arceus appeared out of the blue and fired a Judgment attack at us before being taken away again. This time Deoxys and Sceptile suffered KOs. Over half the guild were already KO'd including Plusle and Minun.

"Deoxys! Sceptile!" Yelled Duran.

"Forget about them!" said Pyroar, "we've got to destroy Tuskmadorogg!"

Tuskmadorogg used another Scale Shower, causing us to suffer even more casualties. All remaining Pokémon attacked Tuskmadorogg's right limbs, doing some damage.

"GWWAR GRNO QUVERTSH!" Roared Tuskmadorogg.

Tuskmadorogg used another Scale Shower and sent more asteroids after us at the same time. This time, no one on our team got KO'd but several other Pokémon did, such as Team Clandestine and the Lake Trio. We fired off some more attacks, doing significant damage.

"V'NARSH!" Roared Tuskmadorogg, using its entire body weight to slam everything on its right side this time.

We hit Tuskmadorogg with even more attacks, then it hit us with an attack that looked exactly like Hammer Arm.

"Oblivion Wing!" Yelled Yveltal, who then fired the final attack that disabled Tuskmadorogg's right limbs.

"On to the tail!" Yelled Duran.

Cresselia broadcast the order, as Gardevoir was no longer able to due to that last move.

"GWWAR GRNO QUVERTSH!" Roared Tuskmadorogg.

Tuskmadorogg used another Scale Shower and asteroid combo and took a few more of us out. However, we still managed to get to the tail while Tuskmadorogg was still recharging and landed a few attacks on the tail.

"KRESH!" Roared Tuskmadorogg, knocking out Duran and a few others with Aqua Tail.

Now, only Fluffi, Pyroar and myself alone remained on our team, unless you count Hoopa. We hit our foe with even more attacks, injuring the tail and causing our foe to respond with Iron Tail, KOing a few remaining Pokémon.

"LET'S SEE HOW YOU LIKE THIS, DUM-DUM!" Said Regigigas as he grabbed Tuskmadorogg's tail.

Regigigas pulled the tail clean from Tuskmadorogg's body causing the beast to shriek in pain.

"On to the head!" Yelled Pyroar, "time to finish this!"

This time it was Lugia who let everyone else know, and we all floated around to the head to finish this once and for all. However, as we did so, we were caught by a strong invisible force and were slowly drawing closer to Tuskmadorogg.

"Curses! We're caught in Tuskmadorogg's gravitational pull!" I said.

"Oh no, look!" Said Fluffi pointing behind us.

We looked and seen that we were directly in front of the Pokémon world! It was now or never!

As we drew closer to Tuskmadorogg, it opened its mouth wide.

"IT'S GOING TO EAT US!" Screamed Fluffi.

"Not exactly!" Said Pyroar.

Tuskmadorogg was charging up some sort of energy in its mouth!

"It's going to destroy us along with the planet!" I yelled.

Tuskmadorogg fired a massive beam of energy at us. Large enough to destroy the planet in one blow. Once again, my entire life flashed before my eyes. Note to self, never eat Tomato Berries before saving the planet. Arceus had escaped long enough to watch our destruction. As I floated there, unable to move, waiting for my death, a flash of green intercepted the attack. Then, in the beam's destructive path, appeared a strange, green bipedal dragon. The green dragon was using its own power to shield us from the deadly attack, and was actually succeeding.

"Wha-?" I asked in shock.

"Zygarde!" Spat Arceus.

"Sorry I'm late!" Said Zygarde.

"What took you so long?" Asked Xerneas.

"Takes a while to collect all my cells and cores from all over the planet," said Zygarde, "but I think my 100% form and power was worth the wait."

"Zygarde! Stand down!" Said Arceus, "this is fate!"

"Maybe so," said Zygarde, "but something you learn from living on this planet is that nothing is set in stone."

"It is not your place to defy fate!" Yelled Arceus.

"Maybe not," said Zygarde, "but my job is to protect the ecosystem of this planet and since you're trying to destroy it, that kind of falls in my job description."

Zygarde looked back to the rest of us.

"You've fought valiantly, but your role here has ended," said Zygarde, "I will finish Tuskmadorogg!"

Zygarde then rocketed forward, pushing back the beam as if it was nothing before finally dissolving the attack and landing on Tuskmadorogg's head.

"Dialga! Palkia! Get them out of here!" Ordered Zygarde.

With a flash, we were all back on the planet, even the KO'd Pokémon, who woke up just then and joined everyone else who was watching Tuskmadorogg's shadow in the sky. Then, in a moment, the shadow exploded, signaling Tuskmadorogg's destruction. Everyone cheered, except for Dialga and Palkia.

"WE HAVE TO GO AND MAKE SURE THAT ARCEUS NEVER TRIES ANYTHING LIKE THAT EVER AGAIN," Said Dialga.

"I DOUBT YOU'LL EVER SEE US AGAIN," said Palkia.

The duo then disappeared and then I was tackled by Team Allure. 

"Way to go, honey!" Said Nidoqueen.

"You did it! 3" Said Sylveon.

"This calls for a reward!" Said Altaria.

"Take a kiss from all of us!" Said Milotic.

I was then kissed by all of Team Allure, getting jealous looks from most of the guild.

"Hey he's mine!" Yelled Fluffi and Ivy at the same time.

"You like him too?" Fluffi and Ivy asked each other at the same time

.

 _"What exactly is going on here?"_

We turned and seen another female standing there, whom I've never seen before. All I knew was that she was a Tyrunt.

"And you are?" I asked.

"You mean you don't recognize me?" Asked the Tyrunt, "well, I guess you wouldn't in this form. You left me at the supermarket in the human world!"

"Sarah Blakeley?" I asked.

"The one and only!" Said the Tyrunt, "you've disappeared on me, now I've finally found where you've been hiding! Only to find you being embraced by four strange women!"

"Hey! I was here first!" Said Fluffi.

"Move aside, sugar queen," said Sarah, "He's mine."

"Sugar queen?!" Said Fluffi.

"He's not interested in ugly girls," said Milotic, "only me."

"Ugly?!" Yelled all the other girls.

"Jirachi, someone, help!" I pleaded.

"I'm enjoying the show," said Jirachi.

"You're on your own here, Drake," said Pyroar.

"Man, Drake, you've got to teach me your secret," said Duran.

"These girls are going to kill me...," I said, "I've got to get out of here! Mega Evolve!"

I Mega Evolved into Mega Charizard Y and flew away as fast as I could.

"You're not getting away that easy! Mega Evolve!" Yelled Altaria, who Mega Evolved and began to chase after me.

"I didn't chase you across TWO worlds to let you escape now!" Said Sarah, who ran after me as fast as she could.

The other girls continued the chase as well.

"Come on, boys! We'll miss the show if we linger here!" Said Jirachi.

"This ought to be worth the price of admission," said Pyroar.


End file.
